The message
from Steve contains these words:

Follwing on from a discussion in another newsgroup, I wondered if anyone
here could explain the increase in the snail population in recent years?

I don't recall seeing a single snail when I was a kid in the 60s and
70s, and even up until fairly recently (say the last 10 to 15 years) but
now they appear to be everywhere.

Warmer winters. In cold areas of the country, snails didn't normally
survive winter temps because they froze solid in their shells.

Janet