'We ploughed through it' as Gloucestershire snow days remembered

Nowadays, it seems the hint of a whisper of a memory of snow can cause everything in the UK to grind to a halt, with schools closing, trains being cancelled, and rush hour chaos on the roads - but Gloucestershire Live readers in our comments sections say that it wasn't always this way.

The Autumn snow and ice impacted some areas of the UK, with more than 200 school closures reported on Tuesday, and some parts of the country had their weather warnings extended into Wednesday. Some crashes and skids were reported on the roads, and some rail operators were still advising commuters to check if their trains could run this morning.

The UK doesn't invest big amounts of money into snow and ice clearing - it doesn't become a serious issue every year and it would be viewed as money wasted, unlike more Arctic countries. But that doesn't stop it from being a major nuisance to people and businesses when it happens.

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Readers old enough to remember the harsh winters of the past say that modern Britain grinds to a halt much too easily. Reader Pauline Hopkins writes on our Facebook page: "I agree with you, we walked over a mile to school no matter what the weather was and the snow came over our shoes. It also froze after a heavy fall of snow which then made it hang around for much longer."

Commenter Kelly Chandler says: "Yes it's ridiculous. For many other countries with really deep snow everything carries on like normal, unlike us. A light dusting on the ground and everyone go into panic mode and uses it as a reason to do nothing. Just get on with it, the UK never used to be like this, literally just a bunch of big snowflakes nowadays."

Lorraine Stephens writes: "I walked three miles to school through deep snow, only to get to the gate and see our head teacher Mr Whally stood there waving his arms and shouting 'Go home, go home, school is closed'. Had to turn around and trudged all the way back again, slipped on ice as I crossed the road and cut my thumb badly. As luck would have it there was a chemist on the corner who took me in, cleaned and dressed it, then onward once again. I felt like Scott of the Arctic!"

Susan Pilkington writes: "We ploughed through it to school in our skirts, not allowed trousers. We had wet soggy shoes and socks, chapped knees, the school wasn’t warm. And then we went home in the same wet clothes, got chilblains. Schools never closed."

Louise Thomas says: "I think it does nowadays, years ago my mum remembers walking to school in the snow and everyone kept going, a lot of people see snow now and start panicking."

Cathryn Ford writes: "That would be a big fat YES. It never used to though, when I was growing up we would get feet of snow but things still moved along, schools remained open etc. It seems now we get a dusting of the white stuff and everything grinds to a halt."

Brenda Ward says: "For gods sake, I had to traipse one mile to school at 4 years old back in 1947, well wrapped up. Excuses weren’t thought of then." Nigel Greenwood remembers a different winter: "My first winter at school was the one of 1962/63. That was a hard winter, not just cold but it seemed to go on forever. I don’t recall my school closing for even one single day though."

Have your say! What's the worst winter you've lived through? How did you cope? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.