Worst blizzard this century

The Torridge area – particularly the more remote country areas – was yesterday still recovering from the worst blizzard to hit the Westcountry this century.

At the peak of the storm, six and a half inches of snow were recorded in the Bideford area. Main problems, however, were caused by strong winds which swept the snow into huge drifts, some more than 20 feet hight, and which cut communications between many villages and towns.

Transport was at a standstill and many people had cause to thank the RAF rescue helicopters who flew hundreds of sorties, not only rescuing people who had been cut off but also delivering much needed supplies. They flew expectant mums to hospital – including Mrs Wendy Mitchell from Buckland Brewer – and among several kidney patients in Devon they airlifted to hospital was Mrs Colwill, of Bideford.

Most of the schools in North Devon were close and many villages in the Torridge area were without power and water – some until Wednesday.

Farmers were left counting the cost of dead stock trapped in snowdrifts and thousands of gallons of milk which had to be poured away because milk tankers could not get through narrow lanes piled high with snow.

Counting the cost, too, were county and local councils. The county engineer, Mr Michael Hawkins, said this week; “This has been a bigger clearing operation than in the notorious winter of 1963. It is going to cost many hundreds of thousands of pounds but we will not know the final cost until it is all over.”

People in the Hartland, Clovelly and Torrington district were among 100,000 in the South West Water Authority’s area whose supplies were cut off by power failures that stopped pumps at Prewley and Tamar treatment works and Clovelly water tower. In many home the only source of water was boiled snow until some supplies were restored on Monday afternoon.

On Saturday night the electricity supply to nearly 100,000 people in North Devon was maintained by the power station at East Yelland.

So many power distribution lines were put out of action by the snow that from 7.20pm on Saturday to 11.53am on Sunday the entire area was isolated from the National Grid supply. It meant that the power station had to keep three sets operational to maintain supplies.

Mr Ray Furseman, electrical maintenance engineer, explained: “This was no mean task as at times we were struggling with just a skeleton staff as the station was cut off by snow drifts. Staff living up to five miles away walked in, but many had to sleep on site. They all did a marvellous job.”

Trapped For 15 Hours
In the years to come, little Miss Emma Lamey will be told by her parents how they set out to visit Appledore and ended up by flying in a helicopter.

Emma herself will remember none of the details for she is only three months old. She was being taken by her parents, Mr and Mrs Keith Lamey, to visit Keith’s parents, Mr and Mrs Ted Lamey, of Marshwood, Pitt Hill, for the first time when they became victims of the savage weather which hit the Westcountry at the weekend.

It all started when their car broke down near Taunton on the way from Kingston in Surrey where they live and Mr Ted Lamey, together with Mr Carey Evans, also of Appledore, set out to rescue them.

But near South Molton the group ran into giant snowdrifts and became trapped. They all spent the night in the car and the following morning Mr Evans and Mr Keith Lamey set out to get water for the baby’s feed. They struggled for an hour and a half through deep drifts before reaching a farm from which they phoned for help and a helicopter from RAF Chivenor air-lifted mother and baby to hospital at Barnstaple after they had been trapped in the car nearly 15 hours.

Gazette articles dated 24 February 1978