The 1976 Drought Act the wicket at Lords and drinking less beer.
The last time there was a drought serious enough to require immediate Government action was in 1976. The Drought Act was debated in the Lords and Commons and became law on 6th August 1976. At the end of the month Sports Minister Denis Howell assumed Ministerial policy.
The Commons debate which is on-line at Hansard contains little of great interest. MPs were agreed the Act was needed if perhaps late. A few far seeing MPs wondered if the climate might be changing but didn’t go further.
Concerns were raised that with a hosepipe and non-essential watering ban in place the pitch at Lords and Wembley might be impacted (they were excluded).It was also established that watering of golf fairways was not allowed but greens were ok.
Liberal MP Clement Freud (posthumously revealed as an abuser) noted that if people drank two pints of beer less a day it would save 23 gallons a person (11.5 gallons a pint) and six gallons saved in flushing the toilet twice.
In 2022 matters are much more serious. Expect however to see the same exhortations from Tory Ministers and the usual journalists to use less water by washing up less and indeed washing less. They will of course be doing nothing about either water companies or climate change
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