How Shropshire businesses felt impact of 'Beast from the East'
It was dubbed 'Beast from the East' and caused widespread disruption across Shropshire and the rest of the country.
This year's low temperatures and heavy snowfall presented some very testing challenges for businesses throughout the region.
Businesses were forced to contend with road closures, staff not being able to get into work, deliveries delayed, construction works on hold and the consumers staying away from the high streets.
Ross McPhillips, logistics manager at Whitchurch-based storage and distribution firm Grocontinental, said: “The storm had a significant impact on our operation. We had a handful of drivers who got stranded on the M62 for 24 hours and many roads to more rural locations were inaccessible.
“Our deliveries were two to three days behind schedule and with the back-log of orders, it took us about a week to recover and return to our normal operation."
Another organisation to be affected by this year's ever weather was care provider CLCA Company, based at Battlefield Enterprise Park in Shrewsbury
Cherry Adams, CLCA managing director, said: "With transport links suffering from the Beast from the East, CLCA Nursing worked around the clock.
“In the sort of weather we had, even routine operations were not only being disrupted but became problematical.
"Some staff worked more than 24 hours, some were stuck for nearly three days until we got to them, their car was buried in the snow, some spent the night on the roadside, some had walked three hours to get to work."
Bosses at Go Carz, Shropshire’s largest taxi firm, said: “We had a much-reduced service in particularly bad periods but we always tried to reach people whenever possible."
Official figures revealed this week the Beast from the East sent a chill over Britain's economy in the first quarter.
Experts at the EY ITEM Club are predicting that gross domestic product (GDP) could be cut in half from 0.4 per cent in the fourth quarter to as low as 0.2 per cent when the Office for National Statistics reveals data on Friday.
The preliminary figures will shed light on the economic cost of heavy snowfall that brought parts of Britain to a standstill last month, and will play a part in determining the course for interest rates this year.
