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Chatham bricklayer builds igloo in Diana Road

A snow-bound bricklayer decided to build something fun for the community.

Stuck at home due to wintery conditions this last week, Miroslav Pekalev put his skills to good use.

Miroslav built this igloo in Chatham
Miroslav built this igloo in Chatham

Carefully chopping ice and snow, he made an igloo in the hope of making neighbours smile.

The near-zero conditions are nothing to the 33-year-old from Estonia.

Back home in the Baltic state, the average February temperature is -4C.

Mr Pekalev, who built the icy shelter in Diana Road, Chatham, said: "I couldn't work, so I decided to do something for the community, make people smile and inspire hope that even in lockdown you can still be creative with your time and do something for everyone to enjoy.

"I used a shovel to scrape ice off the grass and made it into ice cubes that I built the igloo from.

Miroslav made sure his family name, Pekalev, was above the entrance to the igloo
Miroslav made sure his family name, Pekalev, was above the entrance to the igloo

"Then I used water and pure snow to 'render' it white."

It took Miroslav three days, about 30 hours, to build the igloo.

He said: "I've had great feedback from the community, it's a good thing for the kids, lots of people that have driven past slow down to have a look, everyone really likes it."

An igloo, also known as an iglu, comes from the Inuit word for house or shelter.

Traditionally it's where people stayed when they on their hunting trips.

Miroslav Pekalev built this igloo for the local community to enjoy
Miroslav Pekalev built this igloo for the local community to enjoy

They built a temporary home to protect them from icy blasts.

Read more: All the latest news from Medway

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