THE heavy snow has crippled much of West Somerset this week.

The closure of the A39 – the main road to Minehead – on Monday left many people stranded with some even forced to abandon their cars to get in and out of the town.

The snowfall on Exmoor was particularly heavy with many places getting up to a foot of snow at the weekend.

Trade took a hit as many shops were forced to open late in what is often the busiest week for Christmas shoppers.

Helen Billie, who runs the Humming Bird in Dunster, said: “We’ve not had a single person through the door in two days – it’s really bad for the week before Christmas.”

She said though traders had made an effort to open their shops the streets remained relatively empty.

Marcus Kravis, chairman of Minehead Chamber of Trade and Com-merce, said: “The snow has affected businesses a lot, but there are people out and about.

“I’ve never seen such deep snow in Minehead.”

Christmas came early for guests at the Butlin’s resort as they were allowed to stay on an extra day free of charge.

Free food and drinks were laid on, and families headed into the town on their sledges.

Despite widespread disruption, the West Somerset Railway kept its weekend Santa trains running.

Railway manager Paul Conibeare said: “We had volunteers clearing lots of snow, so the children still got to see Santa.

“I couldn’t make it into Minehead on Monday, so I helped out in Bishops Lydeard instead.”

Rubbish collections were also severely affected.

The Somerset Waste Partnership is advising people to put their rubbish out for collection as soon as possible.