12/05/2011
A report conducted by MPs into the disruption caused by snow in December last year has said that extra funding to help the Met Office improve long-term forecasting should be considered.
A report by the House of Commons Transport Committee said that currently, seasonal forecasts "do not provide a firm basis on which decision makers can act with confidence".
Extra technology needed by the Met Office to supply more accurate decade-long forecasts has been calculated by Transport Secretary Philip Hammond at £10 million, the committee said.
The committee's chairman, Louise Ellman MP, said: "Ministers must look again at the resources available to the Met Office.
"Given the huge cost of winter weather disruption to the economy - some £280 million per day in transport disruption alone - the £10 million suggested by Mr Hammond would be a small price to pay to improve the Met Office's long-range forecasting capability."
Analysing the impact the severe December weather had on transport, the report said that more can and should be done to make sure that transport networks across the country continue to operate in snowy and ultra-cold conditions.
Launching the report, Labour MP Mrs Ellman said: "Every airport operator must now be pushed to plan properly for bad weather so that people are not left stranded and without even basic supplies in airport terminals for days on end."
