Cold snap poses first test of Britain’s efforts to prevent winter power cuts

A mild start to winter is about to come shivering halt, putting extra strain on the country's power supplies

• Cold weather alert issued in England as lows of -10C possible

As the first big snowfall of winter threatens to drop this week, it's not just the forecasters and road gritters who will be twitchy: Britain's energy executives and policymakers are on tenterhooks.

Many Britons who have held off putting on the heating, afraid of the bulging bills that could follow, may be forced to nudge the thermostat up, putting strain on the country's power supplies. National Grid has warned that a confluence of scenarios including a cold snap and a cut off of Russian gas to Europe could lead to power cuts. Is this the first piece of that grim jigsaw?