SO far this winter, Helensburgh and Lomond has been spared any heavy snowfalls – but it was a different story 15 years ago this week as blizzard conditions swept across the area.

Here's how we covered the arrival of wintry weather in Helensburgh and Lomond in the Advertiser on January 20, 2005...

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SNOW blizzards engulfed Helensburgh and Lomond this week bringing the usual chaos to roads and commuters.

However, motorists were commended for taking precautions as the number of road accidents was very low.

The A817 Haul Road at HM Naval Base Clyde was closed for less than an hour between 9.45am and 10.30am on Tuesday morning after two lorries got stuck.

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Inspector Brendan Corish of Dumbarton traffic police said: “A couple of lorries got stuck on it because they couldn’t make the hills.

“I closed the gate at one side and once the gritters and snow plough had been out it reopened again within half an hour.

“The A82 and other main routes were relatively clear and surprisingly there was a very low number of accidents because motorists took their time and used their common sense.”

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He reported that everything was back to normal yesterday (Wednesday).

Arrochar Primary was the only school in the area to close because of the snow on Tuesday, with pupils allowed a day off on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the school said: “The snow was particularly bad and we took the decision to close for the day.”

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