While many people enjoyed a day in the snow yesterday, businesses are counting the cost of the disruption.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) estimates that the cost to business is at least £1.2 billion, although it gives no indication as to how it arrived at these figures. Regardless, many businesses have suffered from low trading volumes and high staff absences - it is suggested that one in five people did not make it into work on Monday, and more snow is forecast for the week.
London ground to a halt yesterday as the Mayor suspended all bus routes for the first time ever. Tube lines were also at a virtual standstill. This affected business on the London Stock Exchange, where trading was very thin.
Perhaps most concerning is the disruption caused to small business"s cash flow. Douglas McWilliams, Chief Executive of the Centre for Economic and Business Research, told the BBC that between 2,000 and 3,000 extra businesses may fail because of delays to payments caused by the bad weather.
