Drying times
As Britain dries up, MARION McMULLEN looks at how the country tackled the drought of 1976
DO pleas to ration water, food prices soaring and record temperatures leaving Britain dry sound familiar?
In 1976, the country faced the worst heatwave in centuries, with reservoirs starting to run dry and river levels dropping.
Newspaper headlines screamed “Water Torture” and “Safety Thirst Britain” as urgent steps were quickly introduced to tackle the problems with people being urged to “Save water, bath with a friend!”
The heatwave that swept through Europe was one of the longest in living memory and left the UK battling with the most significant drought for at least the last 150 years.
Lord Nugent, chairman of the National Water Council, launched the new Save the Water symbol and people across the country were encouraged to cut down on their water use and share baths and showers when possible.
The Welsh National Water Development Authority also brought out T-shirts saying “Get Together To Save Water” and – at £1.50 each – they sold like hot cakes.
But after little rain in July and none in August – after the driest 15 months on record – high temperatures followed.
There were hosepipe bans and standpipes – communal taps on residential streets where families could collect their ration of water once the mains had been switched off – were installed.
Water was turned off in many areas during the drought including for residents of Northam near Bideford, North Devon. They had to queue to collect water in the buckets at the Marwenna Park housing estate.
A 100-mile stretch of the Grand Union canal was also shut while wildfires broke out across
t h e country and
plans were revealed of how water in homes may need to be cut off at night to stop it being contaminated by sewage.
Water levels were so low it was possible to sunbathe at Edgbaston Reservoir in Birmingham in a spot that was normally four feet under water and camels from Longleat
Safari Park were able to trek across the reservoir at
Penholn in Monmouthshire. The low tide at the River Thames reached new records and barmaid Liz Sleader was able to walk across the famous waterway to deliver a tray of drinks.
The drought followed the British heatwave which lasted from June 23 to August 27 and in the 16 days up to July 8, temperatures reached 90°F (32°C) in some parts of the UK. The hottest day of all was July 3, with temperatures reaching 35.9°C (96.6°F) in Cheltenham. The Drought Act came into force on July 3 and banned hosepipes and gave the government the power to cut off or limit water supplies if it became necessary to introduce more emergency measures.
Street patrols enforced the hosepipe bans and some companies in the Midlands even introduced a shorter working week.
Denis Howell was appointed
Drought Minister by Prime Minister James Callaghan and was quickly landed with the nickname Minister For Rain.
He was charged with persuading the nation to use less water and said he was even ordered by No. 10 to do a rain dance. He invited the press to his home where he revealed the solution to water rationing was sharing the bath with his wife.
It was so hot it was possible to cook an egg on a car bonnet and the swing bridge at the Cumberland Basin, Bristol expanded and stuck in the high temperatures.
Saban the orangutan at Blackpool Zoo was supplied with ice lollies to help keep cool, but wildlife across the country suffered in the heat. Fishermen in Packington, Leicestershire, turned out to rescue 200 carp left stranded in a pool that the drought has reduced from 10 feet to a mere six inches.
Hot dry conditions also meant plants withered away and the next generation of caterpillars could not find the food they needed for survival which resulted in the butterfly population collapsing.
And the search for food resulted in swarms of ladybirds infesting towns and cities but particularly coastal resorts like Weston-superMare and Burnham-on-Sea.
Natural springs at Elan Valley in Wales dried up and forest fire broke out in places like the Gwydir Forest in Snowdonia and the Trefil Mountains. The Brecon reservoir, north of Merthyr, was hit the and Chew Magna Reservoir dried to a trickle.
The Great Langdale Beck in the Lake District also ran dry and signs were put up at the Peak District National Park warning visitors against walking there because of the risk of fires on the moors.
Big Ben also stopped working for the first time in its history and was out of action for three weeks, while stewards at Wimbledon and Henley Regatta even removed their jackets.
Farmers struggled to keep going as fields turned to dust and £500 million worth of crops failed.
People faced a 12% hike in food prices as agriculture Minister Fred Peart warned: “We will all have to pay more for our food, particularly potatoes this winter.”
Deja vu, anyone?