Taxpayers shell out for snow bonus
Staff who struggled in to work in heavy snow have received a £250 bonus from the taxpayer-funded Crown Prosecution Service.
Only 224 of 1,400 London-based workers made it in when snow hit London on February 2.
A CPS spokeswoman said the bonuses, totalling £56,000, were paid from a pot of money set aside to reward staff who "go the extra mile".
"There were 224 staff who made it in to work on the day when there was no transport system," she said. "They didn't know they were going to get the money before, so they made it into work not thinking they were getting any reward for it. In recognition of the effort that they made they were given a bonus."
The spokeswoman said the bonus was only paid out to workers in London and was added to their March pay packet.
"Each area has special funds that they can use to give awards for effort for staff.
"They can be given for people who come up with innovative ideas or who go the extra mile.
"CPS London decided these staff who struggled into work in extreme conditions should be rewarded for doing so."
She said the funds were created in 2006 and each area was given a set sum to spend as it wished.
An estimated one in five adults stayed away from work that day as snow disrupted London's trains, Tubes and bus network.
