Blizzards cut off Cleveland

Blizzards cut off Cleveland

Then in 1963 - Gale force blizzards swept havoc throughout the Cleveland area over the weekend, creating conditions described by Mr. T. S. C. Blake the North Riding County Council Surveyor, as almost as bad as in 1947.

At one time 39 snow ploughs battled against the drifting snow which was covering the roads at a rate of one inch a minute. Every town in the area was affected. The Stokesley/Nunthorpe road was closed late on Saturday night and abandoned cars added to the problem of establishing a single line lane the following morning. The new Nunthorpe bypass was blocked for over ten hours and on the Guisborough/Great Ayton road, even a snow plough was stuck at Newton.

Stokesley and Great Ayton were almost cut off with buses spending long periods stuck in snow drifts. Fifteen foot snow drifts near Battersby disrupted rail traffic and a snow plough stuck between Great Ayton and Battersby caused long delays. Most of the smaller villages in Cleveland were completely isolated including Baysdale where for the second time in a week cattle fodder and food was delivered by helicopter.

A Great Ayton doctor struggled through the raging blizzard at 3 a.m. on Sunday to reach an expectant mother at Ingleby Greenhow. An ambulance sent for Mrs. Robbins of Ingleby Manor was stuck for over six hours in deep snow in Easby Lane. A police car was called to assist Dr. F. G. B. Dodds in his bid to reach the snowbound village. But shortly after setting off both cars were caught in deep snow and Dr. Dodds had to struggle to his patient on foot. Later Mrs. Robbins was safely transferred to Guisborough Maternity hospital to await the arrival of her first child.

This article originally appeared in the November 1998 issue of Now & Then Magazine