Freed from our icy hell
Reporter: Erin Heywood
Date published: 26 March 2013
FIFTY residents marooned in the snow without food, electricity and heat over the weekend have been finally dug out by the council’s snow team.
The team set to work to attempt to clear Roebuck Lane, Strinesdale, on Friday, but was met with monster snow drifts.
But, never a team to give up, the highways squad set to work again last night on Roebuck Lane, Two Acre Lane and Shilo Lane, and have now cleared enough of the snow for cars to get through.
Jane Holroyd (34) lives with her parents who are in their 60s on Green Lane Farm, just off Roebuck Lane.
She said: “A plough came up to try to clear the snow on Friday, but it stopped at Roebuck Lane because the drifts were so high. The lane was blocked all the way up Brighton Road and Whitegates Lane.
“A lot of us use solid fuel up here, and once we ran out of coal through trying to keep warm we had to use bits and pieces of wood. And we struggled to get enough food. I’ve had to walk over the tops to be able to get to Asda and pick some bits up. Then the electricity cut out on Saturday afternoon, too. It’s been terrible. It’s like the Antarctic up here.
“I’m a police officer so I’ve been trying to make sure everybody is okay, and there’s a local fireman who’s been delivering bread and milk to the elderly residents to make sure they’re looked after. Some of them are in their 80s with heart.
“The local pub, The Roebuck Inn, offered help to all the locals who needed somewhere to keep warm.
“There is a woman who is pregnant and had to get her sister-in-law to meet her with some food. Luckily nothing serious has happened because I don’t know how an ambulance would have got up here.
“Thankfully the council has been out again overnight and you can get a car along all the roads now.”
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