PEOPLE living in remote parts of East Lancashire are still battling the elements, days after heavy snow left roads cut off.

Angela Coulthurst, 40, who lives at Alderhurst Head Farm, Trawden with her husband David, 46, said the weather has resulted in her and her children being stranded in the house until yesterday.

The mum to Caolan, five, and Cian, one, said: “In the seven years that I have lived here, I have never seen it so bad.

“We haven’t been out of the house since Thursday, apart from my husband who has had to walk an hour and a half to get to his car which is parked at the bottom of the village.

“Not even our Land Rover or tractors have been able to get through. At one point, there was 10ft of snow outside the house, completely burying my car.

“We are now at the point where we have hardly any food left and are running out of oil to heat the house. We have got electric heating but it’s an old house and doesn’t keep the heat in.

“On Monday night it was so cold that we had to let the boys sleep in our bed to try and stay warm enough.

“We still can’t get the car to our house and are having to walk 20 minutes to a neighbouring farm in snow that is up to my five-year-old son’s waist to get out.

“If the weather doesn’t improve then I don’t know what we will do as we can’t carry on like this for much longer.”

Sue Hemmingway, who lives on Hollin Hall in Trawden, said: “Dark Lane, which is across the hill, is completely impassable still. There are 15 to 20ft snow drifts across the entire road. I’ve been here 23 years and never seen it so bad.

“We have managed to get out in the last few days but there are about 10 farms I know which are completely cut off.”

Most roads have now re-opened as snow ploughs were drafted in by the county council, leaving large embankments of snow at road-sides. Yesterday, Roman Road in Darwen re-opened, along with Skipton Old Road in Colne and Blackburn Old Road, Great Harwood.