The ultimate lock-in: Seven trapped in Yorkshire pub for last NINE days as forecasters warn Big Freeze will go on for at least another week

By Mail On Sunday Reporter
Last updated at 2:05 AM on 5th December 2010

Seven people have been trapped inside a pub for nine days after the building was engulfed by 16ft snow drifts.

The five staff and two local residents have enjoyed the ultimate lock-in at The Lion Inn in Blakey Ridge, Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire.

They have been cut off since last Friday when heavy snow blocked the windows and doors of the isolated Lion – the fourth-highest pub in England – and made surrounding roads too treacherous for any vehicles to pass.

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Snowed inn: The Lion Inn pub in Blakey Ridge, North Yorkshire, where seven people have been trapped for eight days

The snow was so deep that vehicles in the car park were completely buried.

But despite their ordeal, the spirits of those trapped have remained high. They have kept themselves busy – eating, drinking and playing games – in a huge bar that normally serves 150 customers a night.