M62; Winter 1979

[Richard A Thackeray]

This is brilliant, & shows the hard work, back in the days before programmes like ‘Police Interceptors’

I remember first watching this many, many years ago (possibly when first broadcast in 1979?)

It shows the events leading up to an entire closure of the M62, due to snow & ice
(probably Ainley Top/jct 24, to Milnrow/21)

One of the impressive factors is how quickly incidents are dealt with (cars pushed out of the way, more manual cars & they were lighter too)
Huge increases in traffic volume undoubtedly preclude this on safety grounds nowadays

Very sadly, it's doubtful that the Police could dress-down motorists in the same way today, without the 'Professional Standards' goblins hounding them
Or the driver going to the media complaining about them, for being called a ”Special Type Of Idiot”

Eg; @ 25:02, @ 48:10 onwards

Plus,
1. Dragging a accident damaged truck off the carriageway within the first 2 minutes of the programme
2. Moving the jack-knifed artic, in the snow, with real Range-Rovers @ 37:55


View: https://youtu.be/qvw9DNQWymo?si=HUauvA7y7iTbZrtm

 

[gbb]

It'll be around 1979 when we had around 2 weeks of snow on the ground in Peterborough. It was fairly brutal, I remember sitting in dad's car on the way to work, him driving where you couldn't see the road at all. In the end they had JCBs digging out about 2 ft of compacted snow from a roundabout that sat in a sort of valley locally.

 

[Drago]

"Ooh, its snowing dear, and the police are advising essential journeys only."

"Excellent. You swap the bald tyres onto the car and pull off one plug lead while I change into my shorts and get a few tots of rum down my neck and we'll nip across Snake Pass to the garden centre."

 

[Drago]

I was living in middle England by 1979 and was surprised we had snow drifting halfway up the ground floor windows. Back in Shetland snow fell from the sky frequently by rarely settled more than in inch or so, so to see it shoulder deep was a bit of a shock for this 11 year old.

And yeah, speak to someone like that today and the Rubber Heels would be all over you.