Britain's business community is being warned to ensure that it is prepared for an expected period of cold weather and potential snow showers.

According to advice by Royal & SunAlliance (R&SA), businesses should take a number of precautions to safeguard their operations, including leaving their heating on at a minimum of four degrees centigrade and knowing where their stopcock is, reports bCentral.

The insurance firm also recommends that organisations should leave as little equipment as possible in basement areas of buildings.

"Freezing temperatures create numerous potential hazards for businesses," said Graham Heale, underwriting director at R&SA.

"Pipes burst even in the best-run commercial properties and can cause untold damage to equipment. This could have serious knock-on effects to the viability of the business," he added.

Although the Met Office is expecting temperatures to be above average in January, there is an expectation of snowfall towards the end of January.