Heavy snow may have disrupted business across the UK, but timber companies did what they could to maintain deliveries.
Cumbria-based RH Wilson (Lakes) Ltd moved its operation to Kirkby Stephen during the snow. Inside the offices the thermometer showed well below freezing for the first few days before heating was installed.
“We’re not going to let the bad weather beat us,” said Mr Wilson. “Customers come first. We are in the part of the country where you wrap up well and you get on with it.”
Dundee-based merchant Rembrand Timber found its Dundee and Inverurie branches snowbound and used a JCB to clear 1ft of snow from its yard as it sought to continue deliveries.
“It’s definitely not what we wanted; we have a lot of promotions going on at the moment such as ‘Beat the VAT’, but the customers can’t get in,” said director Jeff Low.
Despite the disruption, Mr Low said the company had capitalised on the weather, by promoting its salt stocks, snow shovels and de-icer to customers with a “be prepared” message.
He also planned to place some local radio advertising promoting the three to four lorry loads of salt the company took delivery of in advance of the bad weather.
“Everyone in the construction industry has been praying for a mild winter but it doesn’t look very likely,” he said.
A photo of one of Rembrand’s timber trucks jack-knifed across the snowbound B974 was used in national newspapers papers.
Glenalmond Timber said it managed to get only one timber truck out in the week the snow first hit and weather disruption had continued into this week.
“We’re essentially down to a two-week month in December and [due to Christmas] it will be the same in January.
Norbord closed its sales office last Monday because of continuing heavy snowfalls.
Damian Thomas of Westerham-based DLH took our star photo when forced to work from home during the snow. “I pulled out my timber folder and my nine-month son Oliver would not put down the back copy of TTJ he found.”
