SNOW and freezing rain brought havoc to Wellington and surrounding towns and villages towards the end of last week.

Schools were closed and shops and stores were stripped of bread, milk, potatoes – caused in part by panic buying.

It was exacerbated by delivery lorries being forced off the road by the bad weather.

Many workers stayed at home because of the treacherous conditions while some businesses told their employees not to come in.

Mark Jones, manager of the Co-op store in Fore Street, Wellington, for nearly six years, described the situation on two or three days as “the worst I’ve known since I’ve been here – and we’re still recovering.”

The Met Office also warned of black ice at the end of the week but fortunately this did not materialise.

The heavy fall of snow on Thursday brought down guttering on several properties while it was not possible to drive out of minor roads until Sunday, many vehicles being laid up for three days.

Outdoor sport was wiped out with Wellington’s senior rugby and soccer teams unable to play home games.

Earlier in the week frost had been the main cause of concern but this was followed by the ‘Beast from the East’ and Storm Ella, both predicted almost to the hour by the Met Office.

The post office and One Stop in the High Street, Wellington, closed at 2 pm on Thursday to allow employees to get home safely.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Wellington Gary and Bee James were out during the bad weather with their pet dog Frejya helping where they could.

Gary said: “On behalf of the council I was in contact with the local nursing homes to check all was okay with staffing and facilities. I also contacted local pharmacies to see if they required help in delivering any outstanding prescriptions etc but they seemed to be coping well.

“We also visited a couple of elderly residents to make sure they were alright.”

Quantock Rangers were among the community-minded heroes last week. They joined forces with the Somerset County Council transport team to help drive dialysis patients to renal units in Taunton, Yeovil and Frome.

In the face of snow and ice, hazardous driving conditions and closed roads, every available 4x4 was sought by Somerset County Council to ensure patients made their appointments, with the rangers and the SCC transport team ferrying people to and from Taunton. The 4x4 drivers braved Arctic conditions to support the volunteer driver service, emergency services and other response partners.