This postal van fell foul of the heavy snow of the winter of 1962 to 1963.

The Post Office van was lost in the snow for three whole weeks!

On Saturday, January 2 1963, a postman took a telegram to Rodden. Going up the hill he lost traction and thought he had a broken half-shaft so he locked the van up and got a lift back to the Post Office.

John Cheeseman of Weymouth remembers the saga of recovering the snow-bound post van well!

He remembers: "I got a message late in the afternoon about the van but because the snow was falling heavily, I decided to wait until Sunday morning.

"The snow was fairly thick but I got shown to the George in Lynch Road, got a lorry out and started off towards Chickerell. I only went just past the Marquis of Granby and realised I was going no further, so I turned round and went back to the garage.

"Hereby three weeks later we heard the roads were now passable so we went out to get it. The photo shows Dave Fudge clearing the back wheel and myself at the front.

"I think this must've been about January 22."

We've also included a picture of John and his wife taken on the Portesham to Weymouth road just outside of Portesham on a Sunday afternoon in January 1963.

Dorset Echo:

The snow is remarkably deep - it's up to their shoulders and makes us feel cold just looking at it!