THE public are being told to prepare for the cold weather spell this weekend, which is forecast to bring snow.

An amber alert - meaning be prepared - has been issued for parts of Dorset, which is valid between 12.05am on Sunday until 6pm.

The Met Office says strong easterly winds will lead to some drifting of snow. Travel delays on roads and cancellations to rail and air travel are "likely".

There is a "good chance" that some rural communities could become cut off with some disruption to power supplies. 

A yellow alert – meaning be aware – for snow has also been issued for Bournemouth, Poole and the rest of the county and is valid from 12.05am on Sunday until just before midnight.

Although conditions are not likely to be as severe as those earlier this month, the Met Office says there is a chance for 5-10 cm of snow to fall quite widely, and 15-25 cm over higher ground.

Light snow is forecast throughout Saturday at various intervals from 2pm until midnight. More snow is predicted on Sunday with a 90 per cent chance of heavy snow at 6am on Sunday. 

Temperatures could feel as low as -7C.

Significant wind chill will be another factor, the Met Office says.

And this afternoon, the Met Office issued another yellow warning for ice across Dorset on Monday.

The warning is in place between 12.05am and 10am.

Ice on roads, pavements and cycle paths, either where melted snow refreezes or where further wintry showers occur, will increase the risk of accidents, as well as injuries due to falls, the Met Office says.

Poole Hospital said procedures and services were currently “continuing as normal” this weekend, but is recommending visitors “carefully consider whether they need to visit family or friends”.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth Water is advising its customers to be prepared for the cold weather.

Customer services director Jo Ecroyd said: “During very cold weather, frozen pipes and the subsequent thaw can be a problem across both customers’ own pipework and across the mains network.

“Customers can help themselves and us by identifying whether the problem is inside their house or not. If the leak or burst is on their own pipes, the best thing to do is to call a plumber. However if you and your neighbours are out of water or losing pressure, that could be a sign of a burst or leaking mains pipe and we need to hear about it to start helping you.

“We would also ask customers to check that their garden taps are turned off and not using water.”