MOST summers provide at least a few days when it is worth heading to the beach but few can match 1976 for the problems which can be caused by too much hot and dry weather.

In June and July 40 years ago the temperatures reached new highs – with 96.6F being recorded at Cheltenham on July 3.

August 1976 was the worst period of the national drought – 50,000 trees were destroyed by fire in Dorset and £500m worth of crops failed which pushed up food prices by 12 per cent.

There were swarms of ladybirds and Denis Howell was appointed as “Minister for Drought”.

The front page of the Evening Mail on September 1 noted: “Standpipes may be on the streets of Millom, Cartmel and Grange in the next few weeks.”

Water chiefs advised us to put a half-brick in the cistern to flush toilets with less water and to brush teeth using a cup instead of leaving a tap running.

There were even plans to take millions of gallons of water a day from flooded mine workings near Askam.

Firefighters from Millom, Egremont, Bootle and Seascale took several days to contain a fire in Eskdale which covered two square miles over Brantrake Fell, Linbeck Fell and Birker Fell.

By September 6, people in Millom were being praised by water authorities for reducing consumption by 25 per cent.

District water controller Ken Ducklin was less pleased with Grange and Cartmel.

The Mail noted the following day: “He sent 18 men into the Grange area to partially turn off stop cocks.

“This will reduce the pressure of water in taps.”

Cartmel was to get the same treatment and people in Barrow had to put up with a hosepipe ban.

Things got tougher on September 18 when Environment Secretary Peter Shore made an order under the Drought Act which affected the whole of Cumbria served by the North West Water Authority.

The Mail noted: “The order empowers the authority to ban non-essential uses of water, including hosepipes or sprinklers on parks, gardens, lawns and sports grounds, the use of private swimming pools, mechanical car washers and cleaning buildings.”

The drought was soon over as the rain clouds returned with a vengeance in later September and October.