This is the moment car owners dug through thick snow several feet deep to reach their cars that were buried after a severe blizzard.

Phone footage shows residents of the city of Weihai, in Shandong Province, eastern China, trying to get to their vehicles that were covered while parked outside overnight.

Car owners, armed with shovels, initiated a blind search through the vast white expanse to locate their vehicles.

One local, identified only as Ms Xu, said the snowstorm began on the night of December 15 and continued throughout the next day.

She said: 'I'm a self-employed individual, and on the day with the heaviest snow, I didn't go to work.

'I stayed at home all day. Friends from the northeast say they haven't seen such heavy snow in the last two years.'

Xu said that some residents spent over half an hour clearing snow to dig out their cars.

She added: 'With such heavy snow, it didn't really affect our food, but the most troublesome part is getting around.'

Another resident, who was not named, said: 'The last time we had such heavy snow was 18 years ago.

'I dare not drive out because, in some places, it's hard to tell where the road is and where the roadside ditch is.'

The Weihai Civilisation Office and Weihai Voluntary Service Federation issued a 'Snow Removal and Ice Melting Initiative,' urging all volunteer service organisations and party member volunteers to participate in clearing out the snow.

They also called on street merchants to cooperate with the volunteers and provide care and convenience, such as offering 'a cup of hot water' or resting places.

The local meteorological station also warned that Weihai would experience another round of snowfall in the next few days, adding: 'The snow might be considerable.'