Emergency beds are set to stay open for people experiencing rough sleeping due to the freezing weather conditions forecast.

Oxford City Council has extended its severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP). Emergency beds will remain open for anyone who wants to come inside until Friday morning.

By Friday SWEP will have been open for 34 nights this winter.

The council activates SWEP on every night the Met Office forecasts freezing overnight temperatures. It also uses its discretion to do so in other severe weather conditions.

These can include snow on the ground, sub-zero ‘feels like’ temperatures or a warmer night in the middle of a freezing spell.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for snow until Wednesday with sub-zero overnight temperatures currently forecast until the weekend.

The situation will be reviewed again by the council on Friday morning.

Read also: Rough sleeper winter appeal raises £60k for Oxfordshire's most vulnerable

Until this winter SWEP beds were provided in shared sleeping spaces and government guidance says that councils can continue to do this where they believe SWEP can be provided in a covid-safe manner. However, the council believes this is not a realistic option given national lockdown and that there is a high risk of transmission in shared spaces.

Working with St Mungo’s, Aspire and Homeless Oxfordshire, the council has secured 25 rooms across three venues and contingency plans are in place to provide more if the need arises. The use of communal spaces will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.

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