The Great Heatwave of 1976

Phew! What a scorcher!

It began on the 23^rd of June and went on right up until the 27^th of August. At its hottest, in late June and early July, temperatures over 32 degrees Centigrade (90 degrees Fahrenheit) were recorded. In fact, there were fifteen consecutive days when temperatures soared to 32C or more. The hottest day of all was recorded in Cheltenham on the 3^rd of July – a blistering 35.9C (96.6F).

‘In the summer of 1976 Britain had a glimpse of doomsday’, wrote Evelyn Cox in her book ‘The Great Drought of 1976’. Lakes and reservoirs dried up, crops failed, on the London Underground passengers baking inside a train stuck in a tunnel on the Bakerloo Line smashed the windows to gain relief from the relentless heat.

The Plague Of Ladybirds

In late July, there was a plague of ladybirds. An estimated 23 billion or so of the little critters took to the air, their population explosion supported by the abundance of their favourite foods: greenfly which had flourished in the early stages of the heatwave. On BBC Countryfile, a Lincolnshire resident recalls: “I remember seeing the greenfly and aphids drifting past the doors like green smoke. This went on for at least a couple of days. Then came the ladybirds!”

Water Shortages and Standpipes

The summer heat was so prolonged that it resulted in a drought. The water shortages were so severe that some domestic water supplies were cut off and standpipes were installed in the streets. That meant that the local people had to queue up with buckets in order to get any water at all.

The Minister For Drought

By August the situation was so desperate that the Government appointed a Minister For Drought. He encouraged people to share baths and use water sparingly. But, apart from that, what could he do? In the event, it didn’t matter. Barely had Dennis Howell taken up his role than the weather took a turn for the wetter with severe thunderstorms and heavy rain by the end of the month. People started calling him The Minister For Floods. And thus ended the great heatwave and drought of 1976.

My forthcoming novel here on Substack is set during the Great Heatwave of 1976. You will be able to read it free, one chapter each week. Coming soon…