9:30am Tuesday 16th February 2010
SHANE Seagrave sent in this photograph of the Lanehouse area of Weymouth in the major snowfall of February 1978.
The blizzard, which struck over the weekend of February 16 to 18, was recalled at length by Dorset weatherman Mark Ching in his book The Blizzard of 78 – the Snowstorm That Buried Dorset.
Some 18in of level snow fell across the region and South Wales but some snow drifts were in excess of 30ft – causing widespread disruption and cutting off many communities across the county.
There was more heavy snow on the evening of Sunday, February 19.
Mr Seagrave took the photo on Lanehouse Rocks Road on the Saturday afternoon.
He remembers that commercial and private traffic was brought to a standstill and there were no postal, milk or bread deliveries, so people had to get to the shops on foot. Unigate’s dairy in Lynch Lane stayed open and sold milk directly to customers.
He said: “I went and brought back milk and bread for my family, and several of my neighbours, pulling a crate of milk on a sledge. Happy days!”
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