HEALTH chiefs are warning people in Ludlow and south Shropshire to be aware of the dangers of winter.

The message is to keep warm and make sure that, if appropriate, people have a flu jab.

The message is to Stay Well This Winter and to encourage people most at risk from cold weather, including those with long-term health conditions and the over 65s, to prepare for the lower temperatures.

Around 25,000 more people die over the course of each winter compared with other times of the year and there are a range of conditions worsened by the cold weather - 80 per cent of these deaths are accounted for by people with circulatory diseases (such as heart disease, lung illnesses and stroke), dementia and respiratory diseases like asthma.

Exposure to cold indoor or outdoor temperatures increases blood pressure, thereby increasing the risk of heart failure, kidney disease, stroke or dementia.

Cold temperatures can also make blood more likely to clot, which can lead to heart attacks and stroke. In addition, cold can also affect the respiratory system, which reduces the lungs' ability to fight off infection explaining why lower temperatures are linked with bronchitis and pneumonia.

Colder weather is not only associated with an increase in deaths but also has a significant impact on the number of people becoming ill, increasing the winter pressures felt by the health care services.

Research shows that for every one degree centigrade drop below five degrees in outdoor average temperatures, there is more than a 10 per cent increase in older people consulting their GP for breathing problems, a 0.8 per cent increase in emergency hospital admissions and a 3.4 per increase in deaths.

"The NHS is here to help but there are important things we can all do to take care of ourselves during the winter months,” said Dr Julian Povey, chairman of the Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group.