Weather: Watch the snow turn Sheffield city centre into a winter wonderland

The Christmas markets on Fargate and surrounding streets were busy despite the surprise snowfall brought from Storm Arwen.

Snowy scenes were also enjoyed across the city including in the many parks which saw visitors sledging and building snowmen with one mystery snow sculptor recreating the Venus de Milo in Endcliffe Park.

Analysis by the Centre for Cities showed that in September, Sheffield had the largest increase in footfall following coronavirus out of the 63 largest cities in the UK, bringing its level up to 89 percent of the pre-pandemic average.

How prepared is Sheffield Council for winter weather?

October 1 marks the start of the winter service – run by Amey for the council – which runs until April 30.

A fleet of gritters and workers are on standby 24 hours a day to tackle icy conditions.

Wayne Southall, manager of Amey’s winter operations in Sheffield said last winter was one of the busiest in recent years and their teams completed more than 120 gritting runs, spreading more than 14,000 tonnes of grit on the city’s roads.

Mr Southall said: “We want Sheffield residents to rest assured that we will work around the clock to keep the city moving safely, through all conditions.

“During snow events, there’s always a real sense of community across Sheffield. And with over 2,200 grit bins, we would encourage residents to make use of local grit supplies when pavements become icy.”

Mr Southall said Sheffield’s two salt barns hold a total of 15,000 tonnes of grit – equivalent to filling an entire football stadium up to head height.

He said all of the gritters seen on the city’s roads – which spread grit and plough before, during and after it snows – are between 18 and 23 tonnes each which is about the same size as a bin lorry or fire engine.

More than 60 percent of the highways network is gritted and this is done in priority order, starting with main routes linking Sheffield to other major cities and motorways.

The team is constantly looking out for signs of bad weather so it can react quickly.