The snow may have gone but the great efforts made by the emergency services during the wintry weather are not forgotten.

To say thanks to some of Norfolk's firefighters for their hard work during the big freeze, the EDP visited Diamond Jubilee Fire and Rescue Station, Carrow, yesterday with dozens of chocolate bars for the crews.

For while many of us avoided driving on the treacherous icy roads, the firefighters were among those in frontline services that had no choice but to brave the difficult conditions when called to deal with crashes and other incidents – and they are extremely modest about the important role they played during the snow and continue to play.

'It is not that we are casual about it, but it is our work.

'It was not as if we were being called out to do something extraordinary. It is what we do,' said crew manager Ian Munro, who also paid tribute to the work of the police and ambulance service.

'Really our call volume wasn't increased but there was a massive responsibility on the drivers (of the fire engines) without a doubt because the fire engines really aren't anything other than standard road lorries.'

Firefighter Tom Cannell, one of the fire engine drivers, said: 'You just had to be a little bit more switched on and slow down to make sure we got there in one piece and did not cause another incident.'

EDP and Evening News editor Nigel Pickover said: 'Every firefighter – and every other member of the emergency services –deserves a sincere pat on the back for how they carried on during the big freeze. The chocolate is a small token of thanks on behalf of our readers.'