THE Big Freeze which blanketed St Helens in a thick carpet of snow got townsfolk's teeth chattering in the arctic conditions... but for some shops, business was really hot.

The St Helens branch of Millet's, The Outdoor Store, in Cotham Street, recorded a marked increase in the number of people purchasing boots, hats, gloves and scarves as people tried to wrap up against icy temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees.

Stand-in manager, Helen Murtagh told the Star: "The weather has definitely boosted our sales, particularly of wellington boots which we were fast selling out of last week after the snow."

Peter Nuttall of the St Helens branch of Famous Army Stores, added: "Our sales always go up at this time of year and quite a few people have been coming in to buy wellies, thermal underwear and hats and gloves."

The snow also saw motorists flocking to stock up on de-icer and heating oil and many petrol garages quickly ran out.

A spokesman for Caldo, which runs a number of forecourts in the St Helens area, told the Star: "We were faced with a very high demand for de-icer and heating oil but this was expected thanks to the warnings that we were due to experience bad weather and we were fairly well equipped to cope with the higher demand.