West Dorset: It's a whiteout!

Six inches of snow made county roads treacherous although the A35 and coast were passable with extreme care.

Many workers stayed home and nearly all schools were closed after the sudden snowfall overnight on Wednesday.

They included Beaminster Technology College, Mountjoy School, the Sir John Colfox School and Woodroffe School, as well as most primary schools.

Youngsters headed out to go sledging while other people wrapped up warm to walk to work or enjoy picturesque sights.

Kay Clifford and Tony Hartley, of Bridport, took dog Barney for a walk and stopped in Bucky Doo Square for a drink.

Kay, 47, said: “It is perfect just before Christmas.

“It is nice for the children as they can have the day off to go out in the snow.

“The Christmas tree in the square looks lovely.”

Tony, 39, added: “It is like a winter wonderland.”

Post office vans were halted from doing their rounds in rural areas in the morning but postmen and women took to the streets on foot to deliver mail in Bridport.

They included Tina Simpson, Simon Attwooll, Richard Cleal and Neil Blackaby.

Simon said: “I’d rather go out and get as much done as we can.

“It will have a knock on effect if we don’t get the post out.”

Tina said: “We couldn’t drive the vans so we are out on foot.

“The real Christmas pressure starts next week.”

Pals Elle Poole, Tess Reeve, Larah Keating and Beth Barnard made the most of Colfox’s closure by going sledging.

The 15-year-olds requisitioned trays from their homes to use on the runs.

Tess said: “I am very happy to be off school.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw the snow in the morning.”

Beth added: “I leapt out of bed.”

Larah said: “I couldn’t see out of the window because of the snow.”

Elle added: “I was surprised there was so much.”

Bridport Arts Centre almost had to cancel a school’s performance by Miracle Theatre but managed to keep it on and offered entry to the show to the public for a donation.

The show, a homage to the swinging sixties and B science movies, was originally scheduled for Bridport Primary School.

But with the school closed, arts centre director Polly Gifford decided to offer the show to those stuck with nothing to do on a snow day.

More than 40 people went along.

Motorists braved ice and blizzards on the A35 and the coast road. One works van crashed into a ditch near the Askerswell turning on the A35.

Shipton Lane near Shipton Gorge was closed on Friday. Dorset County Council said its 26-strong fleet of gritting lorries were out overnight to keep routes clear of snow and ice.

It warned that some routes needed to be approached with care, particularly on higher ground and steeper slopes – especially the B3157 coast road.

The gritters carried out three salting runs of its entire 680-mile network on Thursday and early on Friday morning as temperatures plunged as low as –8 C.

Some of the council’s snowploughs were directed to clear roads in villages off the salted roads. Refuse and recycling collections across West Dorset were cancelled.

Dorset County Council said that all household recycling centres were also closed.

Some First, Sureline and South West buses failed to run in the morning.

Children’s centres in Beaminster and Lyme Regis closed. Bridport tourist information centres were also closed.

Many schools and workplaces re-opened on Friday and the county council gritters were able to get to more communities off the beaten track.

The council also filled some parish grit bins and supplied salt to some districts to treat selected pavements.

The county council says that salt stocks are high. It has supplies for about 25 days’ salting at three to four runs per day.

In normal conditions of plus temperature days and sub zero nights Dorset County Council has enough salt stocks to last for 85 days before running out.

Keep Warm, Keep Well is the advice to residents from the Dorset NHS.

Dr David Phillips, who is director of public health at NHS Dorset, said: “Cold weather can contribute to serious health problems including chest infections and can make other conditions such as heart and circulatory problems worse.

“There are simple steps that everyone can take to help ward off winter ills and keeping warm is one of the most important.”

People are advised to: l keep homes warm, ideally at 18 to 21C l have hot drinks and meals regularly during the day l Wear several thin layers instead of just one thick layer if you are going out l Wear gloves, hat and a scarf as most heat that is lost from the body is lost from the head, hands and feet l Keep moving and the blood circulating – try not to sit still for long periods.

There are grants, benefits and advice available to make homes more energy efficient, improve heating systems or help with bills.

Contact the Help and Care charity on 0300 111 3303 or go to www.helpandcare.org.uk.

Information about grants is also available from the Warm Front scheme. E-mail enquiry@eaga.com or call freephone 0800 316 2805.