Essential services are kept going by people who brave the weather

Some people in some areas have been snowed in. In other place, there was no snow.

In Belfast on Friday, parts of the city that on Thursday had inches of snow that was still lying on Friday morning were almost snowless by the afternoon, as it melted.

Meanwhile, south of the border there has been some of the most extreme snowfall experienced on this island for many years, with snow drifting in areas several feet high.

When snowfall is so unevenly spread, there is no single appropriate approach to cancelling transport or closing schools. But in many locations, where a decision on whether or not to close was borderline, some admirable leaders and workers chose to plough on and keep society running.

Many schools, bakeries, stores, businesses stayed open, and joined the ranks of the essential services such as hospitals and road maintenance teams. Such work can only be done thanks to the tens of thousands of staff who made a sometimes difficult journey to work, perhaps also having to manage childcare if their offspring’s school is closed.

On BBC Question Time on Thursday from Blackpool much of the audience expressed anger at the hasty cancellation of services such as transport, based on forecasts.

We are all indebted to the many people in many walks of life in many places who could have decided no to go to work, but decided instead to do so.