Col wrote:
Now you can dismiss this as the ranting of a bitter Northerner if you
wish, but hear me out...


I love Tetley bitter Col, Boddies is even better :-)

I am getting increasingly irritated by the media's response that
yesterday's snow was the 'Worst in the UK for almost 20 years'.
Actually it wasn't.
It was the worst in London and selected areas of the SE, mainly to
the south of London and especially the North Downs.
So only a tiny part of the country had it's 'Worst for almost 20
years'.

I agree. Here on Dartmoor we have had a normal winter varying snowfall of
1-4 inches. But it *has* been cold and for me that is more noteworthy for my
area.

I'm not complaining about the amount of media coverage given to this
event, clearly this area has millions of people and the disruption
caused was very severe.


Indeed and fully warranted the *excellent and timely* extreme weather
warnings issued by our Met Office.

What annoys is the casual assumption that because *London* was
involved, the rest of the UK somehow had to be affected in the same
manner.

That's the media for you! Get that irritation all the time in the SW, but to
be fair the SW local coverage did cover the London event too as many folk
have relatives and other interests there. Even I used to live in the SE :-)

Had a similarly sized area in NW England been affected by a polar low
giving an equivalent amount of snow, nobody would have claimed it
was the UK's worst snowfall in almost 20 years.
It would have been reported as merely the worst snowfall in NW England
for 20 years.

Yeah you could be right. Now get back outside and pick some coal for
tomorrow's lunch, bleedin northerner :-)

Will
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