You may have woken up to flurries of snow this morning as temperatures continue to plummet in line with the Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice in place in the south and east of England. In Derbyshire snow has been falling today, with a wind chill taking the temperatures down to a -4C. Read our live blog here.

The Met Office revealed that temperatures at Kinbrace in the Highlands dropped to -15.2C overnight, making it the coldest night of the year so far, as well as snow causing over 100 schools in Wales to close.

The week ahead is setting up to get even colder, so what does this mean if you're too cold to work or are unable to get childcare if the schools shut down? Experts have offered up their advice on what rights you have, the Mirror reports.

READ MORE: Snow falls across Derbyshire: Live weather updates as three-day Met Office warning begins

Can I stop working because it's too cold?

According to employment lawyer Simon Robinson, legally, there isn't a minimum temperature that is deemed safe to work in, however, your boss does have a duty of care for your well-being, including the health and safety of your workplace.

Employers should consider how long you're going to be required to work in freezing conditions, with Mr Robinson saying: "The obligation on an employer is merely to provide a reasonable workplace temperature and therefore conducting an appropriate risk assessment is advisable."

He continued:"The impact of outdoor working conditions has the potential to seriously impact employee health where hazards are not effectively managed.

"Employers should consider how long their employees will be required to work in these conditions, what rest breaks and facilities their employees have access to and whether they have issued suitable PPE.

"If an employer cannot ensure suitable measures to guarantee safety at work, then employees should not be required to carry out the work in those conditions."

Does my boss have to pay me if I can't get into work?

It isn't your boss's legal responsibility to pay you if you can't get into work due to bad weather and some employers may consider allowing employees to request the time off as annual leave or to work from home.

That also means that if it could be dangerous, your boss shouldn't and can't force you to come into work according to Laura Kearsley, partner and solicitor at Nelsons.

She said: "It is generally an employee’s responsibility to get to and from work and so if this is not possible, the employer is entitled to regard such absence as unauthorised.

"An exception to this might be where the employer provides transport (e.g. a bus service) and this is cancelled."

If you're on a contract and you can't work because your office has closed due to snow or bad weather, then your boss should still pay you, with Ms Kearsley adding: "This also cannot be marked down as a holiday - however, they can request you work from home if you are able to.

"If you are on a zero-hours contract or your employer has a contractual right to decline to offer you work at short notice, they may not have to pay you. Also, if there is an advance notice of bad weather, the employer could give prior notice to require employees to take their holiday."

My child’s school is closed – can I take the day off work?

You are entitled to take a reasonable amount of emergency unpaid time off work to take care of your kids, meaning if you may be unable to work because their school is closed. Ms Kearsley added: "The closure of a nursery or school would qualify as an emergency.

"However, this is not time off to look after the child, but to make alternative arrangements for their care instead. Many employers are more flexible though in these circumstances and will allow employees to take holiday at short notice or, if appropriate, to work from home or make the time up."

Heavy snow is set to fall in Derby and Derbyshire towns later today with a three-day Met Office weather warning now in force. Lighter flurries are expected to hit the city this morning, Wednesday, March 8, before turning heavier from 4pm this afternoon.

There is a 90% chance of heavy snow for two hours up until 6pm, with an 80% chance of continued heavy showers up until 9pm this evening. A Met Office yellow weather warning alert for snow has now started and will run until 2pm on Friday, March 10.

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