RNLI crew dig deep in snow chaos (From Bridport and Lyme Regis News)
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RNLI crew dig deep in snow chaos
11:32am Monday 21st January 2013 in News By Adrianne Maslen
Lyme Regis RNLI volunteers Tom Crabbe, left, and Murray Saunders helped the Army in the snow chaos
LYME Regis lifeboat volunteers put their skills to the test by joining the snow rescue operation.
Two members of the crew helped rescue trapped drivers on the A35 as heavy snow caused road chaos.
Tom Crabbe, 20, and Murray Saunders, 27, were returning from a week-long training course at the RNLI’s Poole headquarters when they came across vehicles stuck on the steep section of road at the Litton Cheney turning two miles east of Askerswell.
Tom said: “Rather than sit in the traffic jam we put on our lifeboat dry suits and helped some army commandos from Plymouth who used their truck to tow a number of vehicles up the hill.
“In places the snow was up to our waists – the drifts were three feet deep.
“The army personnel were taking a field gun from Devonport to Poole and were pleased with the extra help we gave them.
“We helped dig out lorries and cars, and it was a real team effort.
“As for us, it took about four hours for our journey from Poole to Lyme Regis.”
