SEASONAL weather did not bring jingle tills to Ledbury traders, with a majority reporting quieter than usual business for this time of year.

Ledbury's biggest snowfall in years meant fewer shoppers on the streets, although most traders braved the wintry conditions to open up shop, even on Monday while the blizzard was raging.

Cllr Bob Barnes, chairman of the town's finance and general purposes committee, had nothing but praise for the traders who decided to soldier on, despite adverse weather conditions.

He said: "On Monday in Ledbury, most of the shops opened, or there was an attempt to open them. The traders have shown remarkable resilience.

"It must have affected trade, because fewer shoppers could get in."

But he added: "However, Ledbury's market was open on Tuesday, and the buses were running again, so that was a positive thing."

Helen Moody, of Enchant and Allure in New Street said the blizzard conditions, which saw more that 17cm of snow land on Ledbury, "totally affected trade".

Business had been booming in the run up to Christmas, with Enchant and Allure even opening on Sundays to meet the seasonal demand.

But Miss Moody said: "We didn't open up last Sunday. We just couldn't. On Monday, I had two customers and on Tuesday, three customers, so the conditions were very much putting people off; and that is after business had been really good in the run up to Christmas. The snow seriously affected trade.

"It had a big impact on business."

Andy Ward of The Talbot Hotel said the disruption had come at his busiest time of the year.

He said: "A lot of booked Christmas parties have been moved, and people wanting to stay here have not been able to get here."

But he added: "A few people found themselves stranded and stayed over, and locals are still coming in: people who could not get into work have been coming in."

Other traders have also reported a fall in trade due to the snowy conditions. But that was not the whole picture.

Steve Crowe of Past and Present, in the Homend, opened on Monday with the expectation that no-one would come in.

But he added: "We had a reasonable day on Monday, when we expected to do nothing. If anything, things were quieter on Tuesday."

Mr Crowe was pleased that the Homend had been gritted, but speaking in Tuesday he added: "It's not ideal that the town centre car parks were not cleared of snow."