BROMSGROVE residents suffered severe disruption after the fall of several inches of snow on Friday, (January 18).

After the Met Office issued an amber alert for the Midlands, many shoppers found empty shelves at busy town supermarkets on Thursday evening.

There were blizzard-like conditions as the heavy snow fell on Friday morning, continuing throughout the day.

This led to the closure of the majority of Bromsgrove schools, some still remaining closed on Monday.

All council buildings, including the Customer Service Centre, closed early on Friday while many town businesses sent employees home.

A number of bus services only took direct routes, or were cancelled altogether, while commuters at Bromsgrove Railway Station were faced with delays.

Roads were quieter than usual as many motorists heeded warnings to make only essential journeys, but those who did travel found traffic brought to a standstill in places.

After Bromsgrove District Council suspended its waste collection service on Friday, crews have been trying to catch up with missed collections.

Residents who have not had their bin collected are being asked to leave it out this week, in a safe place, until crews have caught up.

A council spokesman said: “Our waste crews operated a service until they decided it was not safe to do so as the vehicles can weigh up to 26 tonnes.

“It is essential that we do not drive on roads when it is judged as not safe to do so.”

The spokesman added its environmental services team, working with Worcestershire County Council, targeted key spots during the weekend to make sure they were cleared of snow and gritted.

The Met Office is forecasting light snow for Friday, while temperatures are expected to struggle to get above freezing during the next few days.