Gallery: Incredible archive photos show Shropshire people dealing with cold winters of the past

The freezing temperatures we’ve experienced have been something of a shock after a hot summer and mild autumn.

But it is normal to be in the deep freeze and Shropshire and Mid Wales always gets its fair share of snow. Today we take a look back through the Shropshire Star archives to reveal how generations of people in the region have battled through the snow and ice – and often had a a lot of fun along the way.

Of course snow can be a real difficulty when you have somewhere to be, and there have been many examples of main routes – even the M6, M5 and M54 – blocked and motorists stuck for many hours at a time.

But inclement weather also brings the best out of people and, given access to a shovel, there is plenty of willingness to get stuck in to clear the way. After all, life must go on, even if the white stuff has brought a little chaos along the way.