Storm Darcy has resulted in south Essex being covered in snow and it has led to us taking a trip down memory lane to remember when the Beast from the East hit.

With the white stuff falling on Southend, Basildon and Canvey over the course of the last 24 hours or so, we have hopped back to February 2018, when one of the coldest snaps in recent decades hit our shores.

The Beast from the East led to widespread disruption, with roads closed, some trains cancelled and a number of schools shutting their doors for health and safety reasons.

Sub-zero temperatures gripped the country and, at its worst, the big freeze saw four inches of snowfall in just one night.

Echo:

Brave - a woman walks along Sandy Lane as the Beast from the East hits south Essex three years ago

While some schools showed, another in Southend went viral thanks to the pupils getting their own back on teachers.

The students and teachers at Alleyn Court Preparatory School in Wakering Road, Southend, took to their snowed-under school field for a huge snowball fight involving close to 100 pupils and eight members of staff.

Echo:

Went viral - pupils and teachers from Alleyn Court Preparatory School went head-to-head in 2018

A video – which quickly garnered more than 700,000 viewers – was posted online of the battle which saw the children hurling snowballs at their teachers.

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Headteacher Nathan Linfield was also pelted by snow-loving kids at Chalkwell Hall Junior School, in London Road, Leigh.

Echo:

Behind the stumps - Alleyn Court Preparatory School pupils enjoy a game of cricket in the snow

Meanwhile, the first ever British man to clinch a medal for snowboarding at the Winter Olympics celebrated his win by taking to Leigh for a new challenge.

Not content with his bronze in the big air event a matter of days earlier, Billy Morgan decided to take on the task of taming the Beast from the East.

Echo:

Airborne - Billy Morgan and Paddy Graham Picture: Greg Coleman/Red Bull Content Pool

Billy swapped the slopes of South Korea for the unusually snowy hills of Leigh.

He was joined by friend Paddy Graham, one of the best free-skiers in the world, as they ventured into south Essex’s sub-zero conditions.

Echo:

Relaxing in the snow - Billy Morgan and Paddy Graham Picture: Greg Coleman/Red Bull Content Pool

Storm Darcy has also been branded as Beast from the East II by some, but these shots show just how much snow fell three years ago.