SPARE A THOUGHT FOR BRIGG'S OUTDOOR WORKERS IN THE HEATWAVE

As the heatwave continues, Brigg householders should spare a thought for the worthy efforts of the bin-emptying crews working for North Lincolnshire Council who made scheduled visits to properties across the town yesterday (Tuesday, July 20) and also appreciate the efforts of our 'posties' delivering letters and parcels.
It's going to be very warm work for stall-holders on the town's general market tomorrow (Thursday).
Seeing the bin-emptiers in action in Brigg yesterday got us thinking back to spells of very hot weather since the 1960s.
Hands up if you remember sitting in class at Glebe Road School as the time drew near to down your mandatory milk, sucked through a straw from a third-of-a-pint bottle which had been standing in a crate on an open verandah as the temperature climbed.
Many Brigg homes had yet to acquire even basic fridges in the 1960s so food had to be bought fresh and consumed even more quickly than normal during heatwaves before it went off in the pantry (the coolest place available).
Personal cooling-off arrangements in the 1960s and early 1970s were not helped by the fact that few households then had showers. And as many properties were still reliant on back boilers allied to coal fires to heat their water, baths had to be taken cold unless permission was forthcoming to boil a kettle or two to take the edge off. Having a fire burning in the grate to heat water just for a bath would have made life in the kitchen somewhat uncomfortable. 

Immersion heaters became more prevalent, with central heating systems eventually being installed by the council across its Brigg 'stock' by the mid-1970s.
Heatwaves were warmly welcomed by pupils at Brigg Grammar School, whose swimming pool remained without any form of heating other than the sun's rays until 1969!
Summer 1976 was a real hot one with little or no rain falling for weeks, resulting in so-called thunderflies and other insects finding their way into Brigg homes and covering window-sills and skirting-boards before dying in their thousands. There was also a drought which ruled out watering gardens and sportsgrounds.
Lucky Brigg kids in the 1960s escaped to the cooler east coast on day trips to Cleethorpes, Skegness and Mablethorpe by train when our local station still enjoyed a seven-day-a-week service. Sadly, it's been Saturdays-only since 1993.