Shropshire 1982: Minus 26.1C . . . and colder than Siberia

Temperatures below zero and a touch of ground frost have had us complaining in recent weeks, but 40 years ago this month Shropshire experienced weather that we may never see in the county again.

For in 1982 the county set a record with the lowest temperature ever seen in England as the mercury fell to a staggering -26.1C (-15F).

It was colder, the forecasters told us, than Siberia. Through the daytime, temperatures stayed as low as -11C (12F).

And while the sparkling snow was perfect for children and photographers, the bitterly cold temperatures caused all sorts of problems.

Water and central heating pipes froze, leaving families struggling to keep warm.

And travelling was a nightmare, not just because of the huge snowdrifts that made many roads impassable.

Even where the snowploughs had done their job, diesel 'gelled up', bringing cars and buses to a standstill.

Such was the cold that spectacular ice flows formed on the River Severn.

And as the temperatures started to rise ever so slightly there came another problem - huge icicles.

In Shrewsbury town centre the hung several foot long from buildings posing a real danger if they were to drop onto the pavements below.

Firefighters were brought in with an aerial ladder to knock them down onto closed-off sections on the ground.

Working for the Shropshire Star at the time was John Richards who had to go out and help the van drivers deliver papers.

"My Allegro got buried in a snowdrift near Whitchurch and colleague, Carl Haynes, had to come and find me," he said.

"It took him two-and-a-half hours to reach me. I was frozen, I couldn't move. It was a really frightening experience not knowing whether I was going to survive or not.

"We went to retrieve the car the next day and discovered we had been on about seven foot of snow, we could not believe it."

Shawbury, one of the areas that posted -25.2C (-13.6F), was home for Samantha Clubbe.

"I remember that the pipes burst at school so we were taught at village hall and scout hut." she said.

Near Oswestry, Chrissy Breeze said: "I remember travelling to my cousin's birthday party with my parents at Pentrebeirdd and were travelling along one of the lanes, went around the corner and came across a massive snowdrift which was level with the hedge and had to turn around."

Living in Chirk at the time were Will and Jan Morris.

"We had snow drifts up to the kitchen window and I remember my breath freezing and leaving icicles on my beard," said Will.

"We had a burst pipe in the house and ice in the car radiator. We lived in one room heated by a convection heater."

Vet Karen Gartrell-Jones remembers having to travel round the county.

"I remember being towed up farm drives by tractors," she said.

But among all the difficulties many who were children remember fun days off school, building igloos, sledging and even watching people skate at the Llanrhaeadr waterfall.