Blackpool and its District

Snow in Bispham - 6 February 1996

First thing in the morning we awoke to find it had snowed. A rare event in Blackpool because of the salty air with having the sea so close! Blackpool drivers are so unused to snow that if a couple of flakes drift downwards then everyone seems to change immediately into second gear and crawl along...

The wind seemed to have made a wall of snow running across the front of the house and at first I thought it would be a simple matter to get the car going.

Right: the same scene a little later on when I was wondering if it was worth trying to move the car to go to work myself - I did try... I didn't go to work...

Left: looking a little further round it became obvious that my car was standing in a sort of hole in the snow.

There was no way it was possible to move it that day! This photograph gives a better idea of how it really was!

Blackpool had not seen snow like this since 1981 when around 8 inches fell one night. The ruts that year were so deep that unless a car had previously turned into a side street before the snow froze overnight you just had to keep going!

Almost no one was able to go to work. Buses were cancelled and the radio announced that Blackpool was cut off.

We decided to trudge down to Bispham village to look at the snow and found an incredible atmosphere! I've never seen so many folk walking in Bispham before and everyone chattering away to strangers. Snow - as I've said before - is something of an event!

Right: The Old England pub gives a Christmassy feel despite the early hour. The driver of the Council van gave me a cheery wave on spotting the camera.