The year Sunderland folk were left stranded as snow engulfed the North East

It happened 45 years ago today - and it caused chaos on the roads of Wearside.

Snowstorms which lasted for six weeks hit Sunderland and County Durham on this day in 1979 and the effect was devastating, according to Wearside Echoes readers.

They missed their own wedding

One couple missed their own wedding. Drivers were stuck overnight on the A1.

One family had to sleep in their car in a snowdrift as they headed home to congratulate a relative on their new baby.

One person's car was stuck in a drift for a week.

One woman remembered the weather being so bad that a Friday night trip to Durham meant she could not get home to Sunderland until the next Monday.

Villages were blocked off

Thirty thousand people spotted the Echoes post and lots of you had something to say.

Penny Tibbo commented: "We did not even make it to our wedding. Lived in Washington and wedding was in the Civic centre. Finally got wed on 14th April." Larry Purvis was living in Great Lumley at the time and remembered the village being blocked off.

A whole family rescued after a night in their car

George Barnard and his family 'got stuck at Sedgefield en route from Surrey to Newcastle for a 40th wedding anniversary of my in laws. Never made it."

He recalled that he 'slept overnight in the car with two children, eight and nine years."

They were 'rescued the following morning by a local resident who put us up for for two nights before returning to Surrey. Remember it well."

Kathy Haq reminisced: "I was living in London at the time and came up home to Washington when my nephew was born.

"On the way up the snow was getting deeper and deeper and I was worried my dad wouldn't get to Newcastle to pick me up. It lay for the whole six weeks I was up home."

Six months pregnant and stuck in a drift

Thanks to Jan Lund who said: "Started snowing on the Friday night. Went for a night out in Durham City."

There was a 'good cover of snow' when she came back out and all attempts to get a taxi failed as the covering reached 3ft.

"Horrendous conditions, didn't get home till Monday pm," Jan added.

Julie Johnson was living in West Pelton and said: "I tried to walk to work in Stanley but the snow drifts were terrible. I couldn't even phone work as the telephone lines were down."

Stuck on a motorway 13 miles from Sunderland

Lesley Batchelor faced the same problem and said there was 'only one way in and out of our estate and the bus couldn't get in as snow was too deep.

"Didn't think work would believe me but someone I worked with lived on same estate so they had to believe both of us."

Cathy Howard remembered it as 'the winter we were stuck on the A1, in the snow 13 miles from Sunderland overnight.' Richard Stores got married at Saint Patrick’s Church Ryhope and recalled: "A lot of the guests couldn’t get to the church."

Much more to enjoy at Wearside Echoes

And Chris Carney was on her way to work in Washington when the snowstorms hit.

"I was 6 months pregnant and trying to push my Mini out of the drift," she remembered.

Thanks to everyone who responded to our picture memory of the snowstorms.

Thankfully, no such weather awaits us as weather forecasters are predicting rain, sunny spells and showers on the way.

There's much more to enjoy on our Wearside Echoes nostalgia page on Facebook. It is filled with photos, memories and plenty more besides from Sunderland and East Durham's past.

Why not join the ever-growing membership which now stands at almost 10,000 people.