DUNKIRK Spirit has been on display after Marlow’s shops fought back from Saturday’s snow storm.

Many were facing a bleak midwinter after up to five inches of snow fell on the crucial weekend before Christmas.

But shopkeepers are still remaining hopeful that the heavy snowfall won’t lead to a winter wipeout.

Traders have been urged to plough their shop fronts to help customers get in and boost trade with just days remaining before Christmas begins.

Marlow Chamber of Trade vice president Adam Marlow said: “If they [shops] all just cleaned the pavement in front of their own shops, the town as a whole would be safer for everyone.

“It only takes ten minutes and it makes a big difference. Some shops have already done so and have got a positive reaction from customers and people walking past.”

And Mr Marlow – who is also the co-owner of Mekong on Spittal Street, is optimistic that there is still enough time to recover from the weekend’s difficulties.

He added: “We were down a lot on Saturday – probably about 50 per cent but I am confident it will improve during the week to compensate.”

And the owner of The Stall, a new flower seller on Spittal Street, has been working hard to overcome the “horrendous” effects of the snow.

Colin Grainger has cleared as much snow as possible from the stall to help people look at what’s on offer.

“We are a new business, we only started four or five weeks ago and we have been hammered [by the weather] since we got here,” said Mr Grainger.

“We have lost lots of stock – we had to move the snow away but there is a lot of potential for us.”

Meanwhile, clothes retailer The White Stuff has paid tribute to members of staff who helped ensure that its weekend didn’t grind to a halt.

Lead colleague, Liz Bray, said: “We have been blessed that we have a couple of people who were stars coming in over the weekend.

“They came in and opened the shop when people were struggling to make it in.”

“We didn’t do as much as predicted to do on a normal weekend but we didn’t fall too short.”