Economy freezes with two in five unable to get to work

The economy suffered a huge blow today with millions of people unable to work because of the snow.

An estimated two out of five staff were stuck at home as trains were cancelled and roads rendered impassable, with police in some areas advising people not to travel unless it was absolutely necessary.

A survey found 38% of workers could not get to their office this morning and a further 43% were late arriving. A third of the 1,000 businesses questioned said they will send their staff home early if the bad weather persists.

Rail services into London from across the South-East were badly hit, with commuters then suffering delays on the Tube.

Delivery firms also reported trouble with many roads closed at the busiest time of the year for the industry.

John Walker, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "Small businesses have been particularly hard-hit because of the bad weather, with staff unable to make it to work due to snow-bound roads and school closures which meant that parents have to stay at home to look after their children.

"We are disappointed that we still haven't learnt the lessons from previous bad weather and that the country has yet again ground to a halt."

Dr Helen Hill, director of policy at the London Chamber of Commerce, said: "The disruption caused by the snow has steadily worsened over the last few days and the cost to the capital will now undoubtedly be in the millions."

The TUC repeated its plea for as many people as possible to be allowed to work from home.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "In many parts of the country the advice from the police is not to travel unless journeys are absolutely necessary. Workers everywhere have been braving the snow and ice to get into work, but where the weather makes someone's usual commute unsafe, or where working parents find themselves with children but with no childcare, a more sensible approach is needed."

Parcel carrier Global Freight Solutions said the cold weather had badly hit deliveries.

Director Simon Veale said about half the packages being moved to businesses and consumers had been subjected to delays, amounting to some three million parcels yet to be delivered.

"Everyone is working around the clock to try and find ways to get consignments to their destination but with some of the country's roads almost impassable, there's little that carriers can do for the moment.

"What this bad weather has done is create a third spike in pre-Christmas traffic for the parcel industry. Whereas the others are linked to a seasonal rise in shipments to businesses and consumers, this additional peak is represented by a huge backlog which has occurred with carriers already working at close to maximum capacity."

Peter Done, managing director of law firm Peninsula, which carried out the survey of companies, said: "Snowfall was the major issue yesterday, but the big problem for businesses today is the icy conditions left behind. Public transport such as buses and trains have been hit with major cancellations making it almost impossible for some workers to get into work this morning."