Weather cost UK economy £1 billion this summer

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

This year's dreadful weather has cost rural Britain at least £1bn, according to an investigation by BBC One's Countryfile.

Data from farmers, tourist businesses, insurers and events organisers show the wettest summer for 100 years has hit the countryside hard.

Factors include reduced visitor numbers at countryside attractions such as stately homes and camp sites.

Meanwhile, some country events were cancelled due to bad weather.

Gary Rogers runs Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream but his fleet of vans have spent too much time in the yard.

His on-farm dairy has tubs stacking up in the freezer. When customers shiver profits melt away.

"It's been a catastrophic year, worse than anybody's known," he said. "We're 50% down on last year and last year was worse than the one before."

His personal experience is backed up by wider research. Information from tourist bodies like the National Trust, English Nature, Historic Scotland and the Camping and Caravanning Club shows visitor numbers down by up to 12%, cutting income by an estimated £478m.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19521845

And it isn't over yet....

The biggest loss to farmers though is in poor yields as crops rotted and damp-loving diseases spread.

The honey business was nearly cut in half. Even without the extra feed cost for livestock farmers, which is hard to calculate, the loss to agriculture approaches £600m.

The bill may yet spread to shoppers as poor harvests push up food prices.

Note to Graham, that's "poor harvests" not "quantitative easing".;)

Loughton_Monkey

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mm6wd

Julia Bradbury, not just content with first class travel and accommodation needs to hire a plane especially for useless shots of Cumbria.

Meanwhile, Adam Henson, unhappy at the huge retainer paid simply to watch him carry out his Cotswald farming business, needs to 'top' Julia by going up to Orkney to hire his own plane.

Tom, not to be outdone, wastes more money by hiring an ice cream van, which he parks in just about the most ludicrous place to site it - even in hot weather - to try and get across the obvious point that ice creams don't sell much in wet weather.....

Never mind!

Next week, we all go to Switzerland at license payer's expense to make more useless points about the 'British countries'. THis no doubt allows them to access their Swiss bank accounts at no cost to themselves.

Large gin & tonics all round.......

Loughton_Monkey

Incidentally, Hamish, if this bad weather has cost us that much, then surely it costs Scotland just as much every other year, because this type of weather is 'normal' up there isn't it?

Or has Alek Salman changed the weather as well?

chewmylegoff

Isn't this why farmers buy insurance and financial hedging products?

System

How much is £1bn as GDP?

shortchanged_2

On the up side water rates are coming down because we now have loads of the stuff.



Shame it didn't work like that really.

nicko33

So has it saved "urban" Britain £1bn, if they haven't gone to the country and spent it?
Or did they spend it elsewhere?

the_flying_pig

Joeskeppi wrote: »

How much is £1bn as GDP?

GDP's about £1.5 trn so it's kind of chicken feed but not really.

Graham_Devon

And not a single thing can be done about it. Neither can it be used as an excuse for any poor performance in a recession. Afterall, the weather doesn't really concern any economic commentators in boom times, bar disaster events. The weather is what it is, and always will be what it is.

We get off lightly compared to other countries, and get off lightly compared to years gone by too.

Thrugelmir

shortchanged wrote: »

On the up side water rates are coming down because we now have loads of the stuff.

Have we?

Wasn't so long ago there was a shortage. Takes a lot of rain to refill the aquifers.

SteveV2

Welcome to Great Britain. Snow in February, sun in September.

We are almost 2 months out of sync me thinks.