Thanet blanketed in heavy snow

THANET woke up to a winter wonderland on Sunday morning after heavy falls of snow late on Saturday evening left the isle covered in a blanket of thick snow.

Drifts up to two feet deep caused a "snow-go" zone across much of the isle as motorists followed Kent Police advice and avoided driving for all but the most urgent of journeys. Roads remained virtually deserted of vehicles but pedestrians took to them instead.

Thanet. Snow covered Isle. Car problems in Broadstairs High Street.
MR COOL: Oskar Wallace, 7, glides down Pierremont Park slopes GIDS20120205A-018_C
Thanet. Snow covered Isle. Broadstairs beach and harbour views.
Sun 5 Feb 2012. - Overnight snow fall - between 4 and 6 inches of snow fell overnight but much deeper in places where it had drifted. - 'Waiting for atrain that might or might not arrive' - Tamberlaine Robb-John already an hour late for work in the Joke Shop in Margate waited 20 minutes for a bus, gave up, and was told it could be an hour before he could get a taxi.
MARGATE SNOWLINE: The Main Sands were steeped in snow and the retreating tide left mini icebergs GITW20120205W-002_C
SNOW SNUGGLE: Huskies Kiazer and Peppa feel at home in Margate's snowy Dane Park GIIS20120206A-007_C
OFF WE GO: Liam, 10, steers while sister Betts, 14, holds on tightly as they sledge in Margate's Dane Park GIIS20120206A-005_C
SNOW SKID: Kathryn, 14, and Emily, 14, take a sharp corner in Dane Park, Margate GIIS20120206A-002_C

Southeastern trains suffered delays across its network as lines were cleared and crew were unable to get to work after the snow flurries.

Children headed for the first real snow of winter with impromptu snowball fights breaking out and tobogganing on any available slope.

Yesterday (Monday), hundreds of children were given a day off and more time to play as several schools were forced to shut due to health and safety concerns.

They included Hartsdown Technology College and Drapers Mills Primary School in Margate as well as both Laleham Gap and Foreland special schools. Others experienced partial closures.

Stagecoach bus services were subject to delays and diversions on Sunday but routes were running as normal yesterday (Monday).

Despite the heavy snow, freezing temperatures and blustery winds blowing some of their tents away, the Occupy Thanet protest group were undeterred by the hostile weather and remained outside Turner Contemporary.

Thanet council suspended its waste collections yesterday.

The beautiful white winter scenes across all of Thanet brought many photographers out, including readers James Langton Way and Peter Wilson, both from Broadstairs, and Isle of Thanet Gazette photographers Brian Green and Dave Stewart who snapped the images above.