WHEN Mini bosses decided to sponsor a weather system, they thought it would be a good way of boosting the car brand.

But little did they know freezing temperatures caused by the high pressure system in question – hailing from Siberia – would kill more than 100 people across Europe.

Working with Munich advertising agency Sassenbach, BMW in Germany paid 299 Euros to have the current weather system named Cooper to help promote the new Oxford-built £18,015 soft-top Mini Cooper Roadster model, which goes on sale next month.

BMW launched the initiative through the University of Berlin before temperatures as low as -33C (-27F) started claiming lives.

BMW spokesman Sarah Heaney said: “Mini has taken over the sponsorship of the high ‘Cooper’ and the low ‘Minnie’. At what time exactly the names are used cannot be influenced.

“The meteorological station is going in alphabetical order and the number of names registered is not known.

“This was not intentional and you cannot tell in advance what a weather system will do.

“That it took on catastrophic proportions, and demanded so many victims, we do regret very much.”

A fellow BMW spokesman added that the firm was “deeply sorry” for any offence caused.

She was unable to say if BMW would continue with the proposal to name a low-pressure weather system Minnie later in the year.

Gail Buckle of Oxford public relations and marketing firm GB PR, said: “Unfortunately, the weather can be unpredictable and as a result this strategy backfired. When a mistake is made it is best to apologise straight away, which is what BMW has done, so its brand image should not be badly affected.”

  • The temperature at RAF Benson was the lowest recorded in England yesterday, down to -10.8C, with snow forecast today.

The Met Office warned there was a possibility of snow in Oxfordshire this afternoon and said roads were likely to be icy tonight and tomorrow.

Temperatures are expected to fall to -5C tonight and are unlikely to climb above -3C tomorrow.

Today’s Oxford United v Barnet football match at the Kassam Stadium has been cancelled, due to a frozen pitch, and yesterday’s greyhound races at Oxford Stadium were cancelled.

However, managers at the track were confident that they would be able to stage racing tonight.