Snow sets pretty scene but causes chaos in Somerset in 2013

The Christmas of 2023 will be remembered for being quite the opposite of snow with the Met Office reporting the mercury hit 13.6C at Merryfield in Somerset.

Which makes Monday the warmest December 25 since 2016, and the Met Office said: "It has been a very mild 24 hours across parts of the UK.

“Provisionally this Christmas we have recorded the highest daily minimum temperature for Christmas Day on record."

The new record further shattered dreams of a white Christmas for most of the UK, with milder temperatures continuing after the country saw its warmest Christmas Eve for more than 20 years.

But in 2013, sum ten years ago, things were very different as heavy snow hit the county and whilst it set a pretty scene it also caused chaos.

We decided to take a look back at the heavy snow fall in Somerset in 2013.

Tragedy and chaos in Somerset

DOZENS of schools were shut and roads were closed as heavy snow caused chaos in Somerset.

The worst problems came on Tuesday evening when a second batch of snow fell onto already-wet roads, forcing dozens of drivers to abandon their vehicles as conditions worsened.

In West Somerset on Saturday, 57- year-old postman John Bircham died after suffering a suspected heart attack as he tried to dig out his delivery van.

The dad-of-two’s son Wayne, said his father, who had worked at Royal Mail’s Dulverton delivery office for 25 years, was an “amazing man.”

With many schools forced to close or send pupils home early on both Friday and Tuesday, a fierce debate has broken out about whether head teachers are too quick to shut.

In an on-line poll at somersetcountygazette.co.uk, 60% of readers felt that schools close too easily, while 40% said bosses are right to think safety first.

A county council spokesman said: “Head teachers and governing bodies are responsible for the day-to-day management of their schools. Each head teacher is best placed to determine whether their school can operate.

"Head teachers are fully aware of the need to try and open their schools as they understand how frustrating it is for parents to find child care at short notice.”

Elsewhere, ten cars slid out of control on a hill at Kingston St Mary on Tuesday and dozens of motorists abandoned their cars on the A39 between Taunton and Williton. Police and fire crews carried the 30 stranded drivers to Nether Stowey village hall where they stayed the night.

Cars were also dumped on Ford Street, Wellington. Driver Steve Mitchell was grateful when he was rescued from thick snow at Blagdon Hill.

He said: “Two people in a Mitsubishi Shogun towed me from being stuck on the hill up to the top so I could drive home. They then returned to help the others.”