POLICE PRAISE FOR SENSE IN THE SNOW

PEOPLE in Crediton rose to the challenge of minimising the disruption caused by the current cold snap.

But they have also found the time to have fun in the snow.

Sgt Gareth Twigg at Crediton police station said: “We have worked closely with our partner. For example, we have helped care workers to get to addresses in rural locations.

“Most people have been driving carefully so, combined with the work of the council gritting staff, we’ve not had many road traffic collisions. The few that have occurred have generally been minor. It has been difficult working in temperatures as low as -19C, but situations like this see people and agencies pulling together.”

Services remained largely uninterrupted at Crediton Hospital. Gary Patch, who manages NHS and social services in Crediton and Cullompton, was proud of how staff have been coping.

“The vast majority of our services have stayed up and running over the last week and we have our staff to thank for that,” he said.

“They have braved some of the worst weather the area has seen since 1981 — just to get to work. Their dedication and commitment to patient care is not always as recognised as it should be.”

Members of the community nursing team used 4x4 vehicles to get around the area — one took 45 minutes to complete a journey that would normally take six minutes, due to the road conditions and steep hills.

Jenni Pitts, of Four Seasons in Crediton High Street, said there had been no panic buying of groceries.

She said: “We’ve used a 4x4 and managed to make all our deliveries. Several side streets haven’t been gritted and have been pretty treacherous, but you drive and walk accordingly and it’s fine.”

The local schools closed on Wednesday, including Landscore, where not enough staff could get to work. Some, including Landscore and Hayward’s, reopened as soon as Thursday, but Queen Elizabeth’s Community College remained shut for the rest of the week and some rural schools were still closed yesterday. The children happily occupied themselves by building snowmen and going tobogganing — Adams Home Hardware, in Crediton High Street, sold all its 30 sledges on the first day of snow.

David Adams, the shop’s director, said: “We got some more, and they went pretty quickly as well — we could have sold 100. We’ve also been selling an awful lot of heaters.”

The weather forced the weekend’s outdoor sports fixtures to be cancelled. Eddie Trick, chairman of Crediton Rugby Club, said two senior and five junior teams from the club would have been playing at home over the weekend if the pitches were not covered in snow and frozen solid underneath.

“The bar won’t be used as much as it would be if the matches were on, so it will incur all the costs without as much income,” he said.

“We hope the snow clears up soon.

“We’ve been relatively lucky as our first team is only one fixture behind schedule. Some sides are four or five fixtures behind and it’s going to be difficult to fit them all in.”