Many Burntwood residents are returning to to work after recent ice and heavy snowfall made driving conditions treacherous. The first few weeks of January saw constant sub-zero temperatures and thick snow, closing schools and forcing many people to stay at home.

The local Morrisons has seen panic-buying as many braved the weather to stock up on essential items such as bread, milk and a four-pack of lager. As the snow fell we spoke to customers leaving the store. One lady told us…

“It’s madness. I’ve not been able to get into work for the last 4 days. I only just managed to get here, it’s so dangerous. Yesterday I had a few issues driving to the Bull Ring, then I nearly had to stop for a coffee on the way to Tamworth to get some new boots for the snow.”

A member of staff questioned the need to panic-buy and, as many shelves quickly emptied, he suggested that people only buy what they need..

“Why do people think that they’ll not be able to get to the shops? We all got here fine. I saw this one lady shooting down the aisles in a trolley shouting, ‘Anarchy!!!’ with two loaves of bread in her hands. It’s not a pretty sight.”

One lady, who did not want to be named, told us..

“I rang work, told them I was stuck at home, y’know, like you do. The boss told me to stay at home, then I drove over to Wolverhampton to do a bit of shopping. I was in Debenhams and then, just as I was looking at the support tights, I spotted my boss feeling up some boxer shorts. We glanced at each other, had an awkward moment, then both walked off in different directions. I haven’t spoken to him since.”

Many schools have remained shut as teachers claimed that they were unable to get in following their two-week Christmas / New Year break. There has been widespread criticism towards teachers as schools close whilst other businesses remain open. We managed to speak to Mr Ramface from Burntwood Performing Arts and Science University Technology College School..

“People say that we don’t bother, but it’s the safety of the pupils we’re thinking of. It’s better to send them home so that they can fling themselves down big hills strapped to wheelie-bin lids, rather than being educated in a warm classroom. Teachers do work hard – I don’t have another week off until February – that’s at least 3 weeks full-time work from 9 until 4 every day. The constant criticism really isn’t fair.”

Snow has now left Burntwood and, whilst many may believe that the insanity is over, the local council has already started receiving complaints about refuse collections. Lichfield Council has already taken many calls from people asking gritters to clear their driveway and now, following the thaw, they’re handling calls from residents who have not had their bins collected. Mr Bin, from Lichfield Council, told us..

“Many callers asked us to grit their drive. We’ve had to politely tell them to go away. Others have complained that their road hasn’t been gritted, but we tend to prioritise roads that people actually use more often. Now people seem to be calling us about their bin collections. Sure, we’ve had to miss a few, but if you’re trying to drive a ruddy great bin wagon on ice it’s a little dangerous. Have you SEEN how heavy those things are? It’s not exactly a Renault Clio y’know and we have to consider public safety.”

As usual The Burntwood Blog will be monitoring the situation this week when more snow is forecast to arrive.