Couple marooned by blizzards at Tockholes

2:59pm Tuesday 29th January 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Jessica Cree, Education reporter

Janice Crewdson with some of the remaining snow Janice Crewdson with some of the remaining snow

A COUPLE were trapped in their home for five days after drifting snow created a seven foot blockade in their lane.

Janice and Jack Crewdson, who live just off Weasel Lane, Tockholes, started to run out of fresh food yesterday as the snow failed to melt in freezing temperatures and biting winds.

The pair, who have fallow deer, chickens and black swans on their land, which is 1,000 ft above sea level, said they had begun to worry when the snow started coming down so fast.

Mrs Crewdson said: “The recent snow started on Friday lunchtime but we had had snow before then as well.

“We had been struggling up and down the lane so we went out to stock up.

“We did not think it would last this long.

“It was pretty scary. The snow was drifting and it felt like the windows were going to go.”

The 61-year-old who runs Hair by Janet and Team in Revidge Road, Blackburn, said she had not been able to make it into work since before the snow started.

She said that because Mr Crewdson, a 74-year-old sculptor and painter, had a heart condition.

“She was worried about how the emergency services would be able to get to them if he was taken ill.

The grandmother, who also has and four cats and four Alaskan malamute dogs, said: “You should not look on the gloomy side, but I was thinking where a helicopter would be able to land.

“The fresh food had started going, but I have a freezer full of food.

“I am not bothered about myself, it is my animals.

“On the Friday morning, it was very icy and we went to get all the animal feed, but I still did not get enough.

“The cats were down to their last pouch of food.”

Comments (6)

9:57pm Tue 29 Jan 13

Weasel_Lane says...

I also live on Weasel Lane (luckily lower down!) and asked Blackburn & Darwen Winter team to send a snow-blower up the lane after seeing a van stuck in the drifts on Sat morning. Shame they couldn't spare 5 minutes.
I also live on Weasel Lane (luckily lower down!) and asked Blackburn & Darwen Winter team to send a snow-blower up the lane after seeing a van stuck in the drifts on Sat morning. Shame they couldn't spare 5 minutes. Weasel_Lane

10:11pm Tue 29 Jan 13

Unhappycyclist says...

We choose where we live, Rurals should make their own arrangements to cover contingencies and not rely on those of us who don't whinge and sort ourselves out.
We choose where we live, Rurals should make their own arrangements to cover contingencies and not rely on those of us who don't whinge and sort ourselves out. Unhappycyclist

10:44pm Tue 29 Jan 13

Weasel_Lane says...

Unhappycyclist wrote:
We choose where we live, Rurals should make their own arrangements to cover contingencies and not rely on those of us who don't whinge and sort ourselves out.
We do make our own arrangements (and help each other out where we can, I was up till 4am on Friday night rescuing people stuck in the snow) but we pay for services like everybody else and if those services fall short of what is expected then raising that is not "whinging".

We're happy to accept the nature of the location makes service provision an issue at times (our bins haven't been emptied for 3 weeks) and we can't expect the same level of gritting service as major routes but there's not much you can do with 7 foot drifts and the heaviest snow in years, you can't plan for every eventuality.
[quote][p][bold]Unhappycyclist[/bold] wrote: We choose where we live, Rurals should make their own arrangements to cover contingencies and not rely on those of us who don't whinge and sort ourselves out.[/p][/quote]We do make our own arrangements (and help each other out where we can, I was up till 4am on Friday night rescuing people stuck in the snow) but we pay for services like everybody else and if those services fall short of what is expected then raising that is not "whinging". We're happy to accept the nature of the location makes service provision an issue at times (our bins haven't been emptied for 3 weeks) and we can't expect the same level of gritting service as major routes but there's not much you can do with 7 foot drifts and the heaviest snow in years, you can't plan for every eventuality. Weasel_Lane

10:47pm Tue 29 Jan 13

useyourhead says...

They went to 'stock up' when they saw the heavy snow, good idea but obviously might have wanted to stock up on more than four or five days animal feed etc, because that's about how long they were stuck. Hardly stocking up is it?
They went to 'stock up' when they saw the heavy snow, good idea but obviously might have wanted to stock up on more than four or five days animal feed etc, because that's about how long they were stuck. Hardly stocking up is it? useyourhead

2:55pm Wed 30 Jan 13

phillyrovers says...

What were spades and shovels invented for? If it was such a probem draft in family members to help out. Why go running to the LET?
What were spades and shovels invented for? If it was such a probem draft in family members to help out. Why go running to the LET? phillyrovers

7:22pm Wed 30 Jan 13

tenerc says...

you live in the middle of nowhere so why are you running out of food when the news weeks/months ago said this was going to be a bad winter,

i stocked up on food and cat food back in November, if i was to be snowed in now, i can live off what i have for weeks not days.

you must have internet at home or work, tesco do delivery from £2 so no reason not to buy bulk.
you live in the middle of nowhere so why are you running out of food when the news weeks/months ago said this was going to be a bad winter, i stocked up on food and cat food back in November, if i was to be snowed in now, i can live off what i have for weeks not days. you must have internet at home or work, tesco do delivery from £2 so no reason not to buy bulk. tenerc

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