When the lights went out on 1974
PEOPLE aged 50 or over will likely remember the blackouts of the early 1970s as Ted Heath’s embattled Tory government struggled to conserve power supplies.
In particular, the period from December 1973 to March 1974 saw the commercial use of electricity limited to three days a week in the midst of a national miners’ strike over pay that began on February 9.
The fuel crisis saw homes and businesses across the country plunged into darkness as power cuts bit.
On this day 45 years ago, these miners were picketing Stella North power station.
The strike was enough to bring down Heath’s government after he called a snap election in late February. The miners returned to work on March 11 with a 35% pay rise.