Freeze May Have Cost £l50 Million

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30041, 28 January 1963, Page 9

Freeze May Have Cost £l50 Million

(N.Z.PA.-Reutsr—Copyright)

LONDON, January 26.

As weathermen forecast a thaw today, Britain sat back and blinked at the cost of the month-long freeze. Estimates of the total cost range around £150,000,000, and some assessors think even this may be too low.

Worst hit financially win be the insurance companies A spokesman for one of the larger companies said today they were already facing thousands of claims from householders whose property had been damaged by frost, from motorists and pedestrians involved in accidents on icy roads and pavements, and from persons whose health had been affected by the cold The spokesman said final claims to be met by toe various insurance companies would run into many millions and, he added, “the real effect will not be known until the thaw, when flood damage claims start to coms The National Health Service expects its expenses to be up by 20 per cent, since the freeze started at Christmas.

The next biggest bill will probably be that facing the various local authorities throughout the oouptry who had to organise snow clearance and spread grit on icy roads. Together they are believed to be spending at least £1,000.000 a week on snow and ioe clearance For example, the County Council of Surrey, just outside London, spent £200,000 in three weeks to keep main roads clear, against a normal winter charge of £20,000. The total of Individual expenses caused by bunt pipes and other damage to property is believed to be staggering. In London there have been more then 2200 bunt water mains, in other towns thousands of houses have had their water supplies frozen, and water Lorries have been sent round with emergency supplies. Also gloomily trying to reckon their losses are the heads of Britain’s various transport undertakings. British European Airways estimates its losses st more than £lOO,OOO. Other airlines tees similar looses. British Railways’ total bill will be threefold—lose of

passenger bookings through cancelled services, snow clearance on almost all linee, and extra expenses incurred through emergency freight services to rush urgenuyneeded fuel supplies to different parts of the country. Construction firms, forced to lay off moot of their labour force, estimate their collective toss at about £20C,000,000. Other perrons affected include farmer*—feeing: heavy losses of livestock—restauranta, caterers, breweries, theatres, cinemas, and the organisers of various sporting events, ail affected by the reluctance of the public to go out in tiie freezing weather. As well as heavy expense, the freeze has caused considerable discomfort and inconvenience in the form of power cute and fuel start- —