'Stop looking at your phone': Public urged to take care while getting around icy conditions

"Stop looking at your phone" and "walk on the sunny side of the of the street" is the advice for the public after emergency departments have seen increased numbers during the cold snap.

Dr. Gerry McCarthy, of the HSE National Clinical Programme for Emergency Medicine, urged people to consider avoiding any unnecessary outings, such as runs or trips to the shops, and to take care in icy conditions.

" A big message I want to get across today is a statement of the obvious, which is that ice is slippery, and on an icy morning you should consider breaking that routine, rather than breaking something else," he said, speaking on Wednesday's RTÉ Morning Ireland.

"We often stumble and right ourselves without thinking on dry ground, but on the ice it's much more likely you'll fall and break something."

Most importantly, stop looking at your phone while you're walking along," Dr McCarthy continued.

He also urged people who suffer from any slips, trips or falls to consider attending their Local Injury Unit, to help alleviate pressure on the countries emergency departments.

To find the Local Injury Unit nearest to you, check the HES website.