Staff at Keighley college who stayed at home during last week’s snow have lost a day’s holiday.

Their staff union reacted angrily to news their members would lose a day from their annual leave.

But bosses of Park Lane College, which has sites in Keighley and Leeds, were this week unrepentant.

The Keighley campus closed at 4pm on the Monday and was only open from 10am-5pm the following day.

A college spokeswoman said: “Staff were expected to attend college as normal whenever possible to do so.”

She said: “Many students from across Leeds and Keighley were still able to attend college classes.

“If staff chose not to come into work, rather than being unable to do so, they were asked to take this as a day’s holiday.

“If there were any circumstances or individual exceptional cases where it proved impossible to attend work, the college asked to be notified and no holiday days needed to be taken.”

Staff who did not go in on Tuesday were shocked to hear their holiday entitlement would be affected.

The University and College Union accused the college of putting the health and safety of its staff and the local population at risk.

It claimed weather conditions had been treacherous and said police had advised people not to travel.

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: “The safety of staff and students has to be the paramount concern of any college.

“We are absolutely horrified that Park Lane College has threatened staff with a reduction in their holiday entitlement if they were not prepared to make a journey to work that the police and emergency services advised against.

“Staff not wanting to be penalised were putting their safety, and that of others, at risk if they attempted to travel in such dangerous conditions.”

The UCU said college staff who did go to work found they had very few students to teach.