THE extreme weather that brought parts of the UK to a standstill last week will have a worse economic impact in Scotland, it has been claimed.

Howard Archer of the leading forecasting group the EY ITEM Club said the Scottish economy is “likely to suffer more” due to the severity of the conditions.

Other reports yesterday suggested footfall in Scottish shops was down 54 per cent last week and that the economy could lose tens of millions of pounds a day.

A fall in economic output, it is feared, will dent the revenues available to the Scottish Government for public services.

Crippling snowstorms triggered an unprecedented red weather warning last week that effectively shut down Scotland’s key transport routes. Disruption remains in place for much of the country.

Schools were also closed and the army was drafted in to transport NHS workers to hospitals, where urgent procedures were carried out.

However, concern exists about the wider economic impact of the poor weather, which may continue this week.

Archer, the chief economic adviser at EY, predicted last week that UK GDP could fall by up to 0.2 per cent in the first quarter due to the heavy snowfall.

He cited staff not being able to get to work, the negative impact on supply chains and reduced footfall at shops, leisure facilities, theatres, cinemas and restaurants as factors contributing to diminished growth.

He told the Sunday Herald: “I think it would be fair to say that the Scottish economy is likely to suffer more than the UK overall as the weather there has been more severe and so the disruptions are higher. On the other hand, Scotland is likely more experienced and adept at coping with severe weather than most other parts of the UK.”

The Scottish Fiscal Commission, set up to provide independent tax forecasts, predicted in December that the economy would grow at less than 1 per cent per year until 2022, including by 0.7 per cent this year. Lost days will only make the figures worse.

Colin Borland, Head of Devolved Nations at the Federation of Small Businesses, described the potential economic impact as a “complicated picture”.

“If you are in a business which relies on footfall or requires staff to physically be on the premises, the deserted snow-covered streets made this a tough week. The hardest hit small firms will be doing all they can to get back up and running as quickly as possible – and in the meantime we would expect the banks and others to show some flexibility to small business customers who are experiencing temporary cash-flow problems.”

Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: "Businesses will be eagerly anticipating a return to normal operations, keen to counteract some of the potential losses they faced last week.

"If conditions allow, we would like to hope people start to venture out and about filling bars, shops and restaurants once again and that the deliveries of stock and finished goods can get quickly back to normal."

The snowstorms meant that bus, rail and air services were either cancelled or kept to a minimum, making it impossible for staff and consumers to travel.

On Thursday and Friday, 73 per cent of all Edinburgh airport flights were cancelled, while ScotRail also bore the brunt of passenger frustration.

Cancellations meant some commuters were stranded and had to find last minute accommodation. The company received 11,500 Facebook and Twitter messages in two days.

Network Rail used a multi-million pound "winter train", equipped with hot-air blowers and heat lances, to clear snow and defrost vital infrastructure.

At a council level, clearing roads and re-opening schools was the priority for most local authorities.

In Glasgow, continuing snowfall was the key challenge, and progress was made on the main arterial routes on Thursday. Ensuring access into major residential estates was the next priority. All of Glasgow’s schools and nurseries were closed between Wednesday and Friday, but the council expects them to be open tomorrow.

The weather also continues to have a major impact on the NHS. In the Lothians, routine, non-urgent elective procedures and all hospital outpatient appointments were cancelled on Thursday, and on Friday the army provided extra vehicles to take staff to work.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We have been encouraging and facilitating industry resilience for many years to ensure businesses have contingency plans in place for disruptive events. We have seen exceptional circumstances over the past week and we have been working with industry sectors to minimise disruption and interruption during this time.

“The Scottish Government has mobilised resources from across the public sector and drawn on military support and private industry to ensure key services have continued to be supplied."