THE SNOW which arrived with a vengeance earlier than predicted on Tuesday morning turned Redditch into a winter wonderland.
Youngsters celebrated being let off from school with impromptu snowball fights and making snowmen being joined by young at heart residents.

However, for all the fun and frolics had during the snowfall, there was the inevitable disruption and traffic chaos.
After the first flakes began falling on Tuesday (January 5) the county council sent out gritters to try and clear the roads as parents went to pick up children from closed schools and staff at some town businesses were sent home.

The weather led to delays on roads in and around Redditch including a reader's report of an accident on the Coventry Highway.
There was no rest for the gritters however as predictions of fresh snowfall overnight on Tuesday and freezing temperatures on Wednesday evening meant they had to work through both nights targeting all primary routes across the county.
The Met Office's severe weather warning chart put Redditch and the rest of the West Midlands on orange 'be prepared' alert on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Waste and recycling services, Dial-A-Ride and the council's One Stop Shop services all had to be temporarily suspended, but were expected to be up and running again as The Standard went to press.

Councillor Carole Gandy, leader of Redditch Borough Council, praised residents who had been out helping elderly and vulnerable neighbours.
She said: "Certainly where I live it has been heartening to see young people making sure elderly people are looked after and clearing footpaths for them.
"In weather like this, people should just keep an eye out for those who are vulnerable."
She added that while the snowy scenes were absolutely beautiful to look at, some of the council services had had to be cancelled.
"I think the council has coped as well as anywhere else has. Some people, like myself, may have had their bin collections cancelled today [Wednesday] but the crews were determined to go out on Tuesday and collect as many as they could before it became unsafe to do so.
"We were also one of the only authorities collecting on Boxing Day and always try our best to keep services running."

Residents were also kept up to date with school and service closures, travel information and more on our website

www.redditchstandard.co.uk