Wednesday 27 January

After an overnight low of -12C, the temperature is now on an upward trend. This evening, milder weather will move in from Scotland, where the mercury has risen to +10C yesterday. The result here, where the temperatures have been so low, will be freezing rain. It is likely to lead to havoc on the roads overnight and in the morning rush hour.

Today it is 65 years ago since the infamous Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camp was liberated by Soviet forces. More than a million people, mainly Jews, were killed there during the Second World War. The process was conducted as an industrial process. To date, some of the goods left behind by the victims of the Holocaust remain on display. These include suitcases with name tags, spectacle frames, hair and shoes. I have never visited Auschwitz and am not likely to. January 27th is Holocaust Memorial Day, remembering all the victims of the Nazi's policy of extermination of all those they considered to be sub-human. We must never forget.