LOOKBACK


POLICING BRITAIN’S HARSHEST WINTERS


The winters of 1947 and 1962-63 are considered the worst to


hit the country. POLICE looks back at how our officers braved the snow storms to keep communities safe


The winters of 1947 and 1962-63, often dubbed Britain’s “Ice Age winters,” posed extraordinary challenges for policing, as officers battled not only crime but the elements themselves. The winter of 1947


was one of the harshest on record. Snow fell somewhere in the UK for 55 consecutive days, with drifts up to seven metres deep cutting off entire villages. Police officers were often the only visible authority in isolated communities, trudging through


44 | POLICE | DECEMBER | 2025


waist-high snow to deliver food, medicine and reassurance. In Gloucestershire, for example, constables and cadets marched


“Routine duties such as patrols, traffic management and responding to emergencies became feats of endurance, with officers working alongside the armed forces to clear roads and railways.”


supplies into Birdlip village when roads were impassable. Routine duties such as patrols, traffic management and


responding to emergencies became feats of endurance, with officers working alongside the armed forces to clear roads and railways. The winter of 1962–63 was


equally severe, lasting from late December until March. Rivers froze, transport networks collapsed, and schools and businesses shut down. Police faced the dual burden of maintaining public order and supporting


civil resilience. With communities stranded, officers coordinated welfare checks, managed accidents on


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