Sheffield snow: 23 pictures show what it was like in snowy Sheffield during the bitter winter of 1979

The first few weeks and months of 1979 were an unforgettable time for the city, as snow arrived early in the new year.

Sheffield has already seen snowfall this winter, but the fall that arrived in November only lasted a night. Most of it had melted by the next day.

But many residents in the city remember how in 1979, Sheffield was hit hard by a severe winter, with 6ft drifts, and transport struggling to cope with what the weather threw at it.

It was one of the hardest winters in the city’s recent past. During what was popularly known as the Winter of Discontent, as a result of strikes and industrial action, the city was gripped by snow and ice for what seemed like months.

Our pictures show how the winter weather continued well into the year in 1979, with pictures in our gallery taken all the way from January until March.

Sign up today for our free daily newsletter, packed with all of the latest news, sports and more from Sheffield and the surrounding areas.

It was a year where residents in some parts of the city reported drifts up to six feet deep as the winter weather took hold. And for many children, the combination of closed schools and snowfall provided a golden opportunity to go out and play in the snow.

For many, that winter was memorable for the sight of scores of Sheffield Wednesday fans taking to the Hillsborough pitch to clear the playing surface, so that the Owls’ FA Cup third round game against Arsenal could take place – an image beamed across the country on the nation’s televisions. Pictures show Sheffield United fans also working to clear the Blades’ pitch.

Take a look at our pictures, below, for an icy blast of the past.