Met Office staff net £1.3m bonuses

The weather service, which is part of the Ministry of Defence, confirmed that its 1,800 employees are in line for the pay-out after it met or exceeded all of its targets.

That will mean an average of around £700 for each worker.

Chief executive John Hirst was awarded an annual performance bonus of £50,000 last year, taking his total pay to £225,000.

And chief scientist Julia Slingo saw her bonus rise to £25,000, with her total package worth £170,000.

A Met Office spokesman said: “The Met Office is relied upon at times of severe weather and other environmental incidents.

“Through this year the Met Office provided support to Government and the public throughout the cold weather of November and December, with our forecasts to the public providing good advice and our day-to-day forecast providing exceptional guidance allowing emergency responders to target their efforts to the weather.”