THE region has seen the coldest December for more than a decade – with no let-up predicted this month.

Last month’s freezing conditions meant it was the coldest December since 1995.

The average minimum temperature was 0.3C (32.5F) at Newton Aycliffe weather station, in County Durham.

Nearly three weeks of regular snowfall throughout the month and into 2010 have also surprised forecasters.

However, the Arctic blast has not been severe enough to trouble the record books.

They show that the winter of 1962-63 was the coldest in living memory and the worst since 1740.

A blizzard began on Christmas Eve 1962, with the region remaining under a continuous layer of snow until March.

However, figures from the same station suggest 1981 had the coldest December in living memory with an average minimum temperature of -3.3C.

The Northern Echo’s archives show this was the month that Darlington’s coldest temperature of -20C (-4F) was recorded in the town’s South Park.

And although the snow has fallen since mid-December, there will need to be many more blizzards this winter to match 1979.

That was the year that the region was submerged in 6ft drifts for several weeks.

Main roads were blocked and country villages cut off.

In one incident, a van driver was reported overdue near Eggleston, in Teesdale.

The man’s body was only discovered when the snowplough got through several days later.

In 1965, The Northern Echo reported that the ironically named village of Sunniside was nearly buried beneath 40ft snow drifts.

In contrast, 1988 had the warmest December in recent history when the average minimum temperature was 4.4C (39.9F).

Paul Kamp is an amateur meteorologist who runs Newton Aycliffe weather station from his back garden.

He said: “It’s not been record breaking, but it has been 2C below what you would normally expect.

“It’s probably going to be the third coldest December in the past 20 or so years.”

Mr Kamp added: “It’s the snow that been the really surprising thing – we have had snow cover for the past 19 days now. I think you would have to go back to the Seventies and Eighties to see the last times this has happened.”

Forecasters said last night it would remain cold for at least the next ten days.

All flights to and from Durham Tees Valley Airport were last night cancelled due to ice on the runway.

Services between Amsterdam, Aberdeen and Southampton were all affected, with this morning’s 6am departure to Amsterdam also cancelled.