IT might look pretty lying untrodden in gardens and parks.

But snow when it turns into thick, grey sludge is not quite so picturesque and a stagnant, Dickensian stream of it lay along Bridlesmith Gate and Clumber Street all the way to the Victoria Centre.

"I've never known anything like it," said Katie Leyland, 30, trainee manager at Hobbs, who walked into work from her home in Sneinton because the buses were not running regularly.

"I've lived in Nottingham all my life. I've seen it snow but I've never seen Bridlesmith Gate like this, with all this sludge. I've no idea who's going to come shopping on a day like this."

Hobbs was open and running with two members of staff but a further two, from Bingham and Top Valley, were unable to make it work through the bad weather.

Some Bridlesmith Gate shops were closed first thing, although most were open later.

Despite the credit crunch the street, home of Nottingham's high-end stores, is normally bustling.

Yesterday, just a fraction of the usual crowd were sliding, grim-faced, through the icy street.

"It was like a ghost town when I came in," said Katie Steels, 25, of Bulwell, assistant manager at Argento silverware store.

"We had to open an hour late this morning – it took me two hours to get in. But, to be honest, I don't think we'll have missed any trade."

"It's the Dunkirk spirit!" joked Geoff Williams, co-owner of The Tokenhouse, whose power has gone off twice in the past week, forcing his shop and several of his neighbours, to close early.

Shoe shop Moda in Pelle opened at 11.30am, its staff having gallantly travelled from all directions to make it into work.

Nineteen-year-old Georgina Fletcher, retail support staff, had driven at 40mph all the way from Sheffield down the M1. However, she did not know how long she would be staying.

"The area manager has told me to go home now because Sheffield's supposed to be really bad," she said. "So we might have to close again."

The Victoria Centre, too, was far from its jam-packed normality.

Ann Harvey, Millie's Cookies and Swarovski were all closed yesterday morning.

Emma Bingley, 23, deputy manager at Bay Trading Company, said: "Because of the credit crunch, it's quiet anyway but this is beyond belief.

"We've only done four sales this morning – we'd normally have done three times that amount."

However, the bad weather did seem to have prompted people to fall on the necessities.

There was a queue running into Greggs the pasty and sandwich shop, and Tesco reported it was business as usual.

Meanwhile, shoe shops were reporting that sales of wellies were up.

One customer had run into a Nottingham store that morning and grabbed a pair of ugg boots to wear because her feet were wet.

However, the "spring/summer sale" signs adorning the windows of some businesses were looking markedly redundant.

jennifer.scott@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk