THE worst conditions for almost a quarter of a century was how a spokesman for Yorkshire Electricity described the blizzards of December, 1990.

Roads were blocked and thousands of residents were left without power.

And, in Appletreewick, a 53-year-old farmer who went out to look for his sheep in the snow-covered fields failed to return. He suffered a heart attack.

Power cuts affected Skipton - including High Street shops that were busy preparing for Christmas - Upper Wharfedale, Littondale, Hellifield and Malhamdale.

A Yorkshire Electricity spokesman said there were 200,000 customers in the region without electricity at the height of the blizzard and some were still in the dark four days later.

"Teams have been working solidly around the clock," said the spokesman. "Helicopters have been used in some areas as men have had problems getting through. The problem has been ice on the power lines, which have then come down. Repair men have sometimes had to work through drifts."

Residents in Airton were cut off and had to be dug out by snow ploughs. While waiting for help to arrive, neighbours pooled supplies and resources. One villager said they had been prepared for onslaught, having stocked up with boxes of candles and food.

Routes to Grassington and Addingham were also impassable and, while the road to Gargrave remained open, there were long tailbacks of traffic due to the deteriorating conditions.

Motorists at Coniston Cold found themselves stranded as strong winds caused deep snow drifts across the A65 and many spent the best part of a day sheltering in their cars as traffic ground to a halt.

Not surprisingly, the A59 to Harrogate - usually the first road to be affected by bad weather - was closed for several days due to the severe drifting, particularly at Blubberhouses.

Most roads out of Skipton were littered with abandoned cars, as drivers gave up the struggle and decided to complete their journeys on foot.

However, many people stayed indoors as strong winds brought temperatures down well below freezing and those shopkeepers who braved the weather in Skipton to open their doors, had few customers. There were just a handful of stalls to be found on the town's High Street despite the busy pre-Christmas season.

Milking cows proved difficult with no power, but farmers coped and the tankers managed to get through, albeit behind schedule.

Thousands of sheep survived 24 hours buried under snow drifts. Once the worst of the weather had cleared, farmers started the task of digging them out. Armed with long sticks, they carefully probed the drifts and used sheepdogs to find their missing flocks.

One farmer in Airton went to look for his herd of cows, but could find no sign of them. He eventually discovered them in the next field, covered by snow, on the lee-side of the wall.

And two Skipton firefighters, with thermal imaging cameras, helped to look for around 50 missing sheep at Gordale Scar, Malham, but to no avail. There were fears of heavy livestock losses.

The Grassington-based Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association was called out to help a walker who had suffered a heart attack at Netherside, Grassington, and to search for missing Lofthouse farmer Howard Stevenson. He was later found alive in a 10-foot drift. He had built a snow house and was treated for exposure at Harrogate District Hospital.

Grassington and Littondale bore the brunt of the snow storms, with newly-erected Christmas trees blown down. The first of the three Dickensian Saturdays had to be abandoned, much to the disappointment of the organisers. The evening entertainment planned by local thespians was also cancelled as blizzards blew for almost 36 hours, making roads impassable.

A police spokesman said they had been busy throughout the bad weather, rescuing motorists from the snow and keeping the public informed about road closures.

Events that did go ahead had a poor attendance. At Skipton Baptist Church, guest speaker at the Christmas dinner, Rita Nightingale, was unable to get through from Blackburn, so the celebration went ahead with low numbers and impromptu entertainment.

Rail services were also affected, with no trains between Settle and Carlisle due to snow blocking the line.

And there were fears of more problems ahead. With the snow melting and forecasted low overnight temperatures, driving conditions were expected to be treacherous for some days.