Big freeze brought new degree of chaos

Freezing temperatures in December and January placed strain on an already fragile economy and raised the winter death toll higher than ever before, analysts have revealed.

Scotland suffered its coldest spell since records began in 1914, with temperature in the Highlands falling to lows of -22.3 degrees celsius.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has estimated that the cold snap cost Scotland £60 million daily, with one in ten employees were unable to get into work.

Andy Willcox, Scottish policy convener for the FSB, said: “We’ve had to deal with swine flu, the recession and now this.”

The freeze overwhelmed private and public services, with central heating provider Warmsure receiving 400 percent more call-outs in January than usual.

Average household bills are expected to reach £2000 this year as heaters are kept on longer.

The National Grid, meanwhile, issued two alerts of a potential gas shortfall and cut off 100 firms as demand hit a series of all-time highs in January.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says the housing market was itself frozen, with conditions too cold for viewings.

Retailers have felt the chill most acutely, with such high street names as Marks & Spencer losing millions and Stephen Robertson, the director general of the British Retail Consortium, decrying an “awful start to the year”.

The Scottish transport system faced particular difficulties, with hundreds of trains and flights being delayed or cancelled, and grit supplies running “critically low” in many councils.

The AA, meanwhile, had to deal with a 250 percent increase in calls due to winter difficulties.

Transport problems also mounted pressure on the NHS, with calls to ambulance services up 7.2 percent, and hundreds of additional injuries from slips on icy pavements.

Energy Action Scotland estimates that 26.5 percent of Scottish households are in fuel poverty, defined as spending 10 percent of household income on heating.

Around 45,000 people are estimated to die over the course of this winter (November-March), up from 36,000 in 2007-08 and around 25,000 in 2006-07.