Arctic weather costing West Midlands businesses £73m a day

Dec 7 2010 by Paul Dale, Birmingham Post

Workers taking snow days during the Arctic weather are costing Birmingham and West Midlands businesses £73 million a day, it has been claimed.

After a fortnight of sub-zero temperatures, firms are beginning to be hit in the pocket by staff who stay at home rather than battle their way to work through the snow.

Cancelled trains, airport shut-downs and road closures are also harming the region’s economy, according to a Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Group survey.

More than 60 per cent of companies in the survey said they were being affected by staff not turning up for work – hitting production and reducing profits.

More than half of those taking part in the poll reported employees arriving late for work and blaming the freezing conditions.

Many firms have had to increase heating, which is pushing up costs, and 32 per cent say they are losing business through late deliveries.