Room at the inn for stranded motorists

Motorists stranded on the A1 were offered shelter from the elements by the already thinly spread staff of the Lindisfarne Inn, Northumberland.

With the road closed after severe weather conditions swept the country, the inn’s restaurant was turned into an emergency shelter for those stranded in their vehicles overnight.

Staff handed out duvets, pillows and hot drinks through the night.

'The end of the world'

Duty manager Lewis Scott said: “We just did what we felt was right to do. We couldn’t let people be stuck. As all of our rooms were fully booked, we offered people the chance to sleep in our lounge and restaurant areas.

“We made people as comfortable as we could and handed out duvets.

“The atmosphere was lovely, it felt really strange – it kind of felt like it was the end of the world. But everyone was happy and talked to each other – including the staff – we were on a skeletal scale staff as so many people hadn’t been able to get in because of the snow.

“We’d started work at 7.30am and worked until about 12.30am. Everyone just rolled up their sleeves. The night just flew by."

Managing director of The Inn Collection Group – to which the Lindisfarne Inn belongs – Sean Donkin, added: “I am extremely proud of our team at the Lindisfarne Inn, which really did go above and beyond to assist stranded motorists whose only other option would have been to spend the night in their cars.

“It’s a heart-warming example of the important role pubs play in the community and how, in adverse times such as these, people come together to offer support to each other.”