On 2013-05-15 14:48:48 +0000, Col said:

"yttiw" wrote in message
news:2013051515274477014-cuddles@britpostcom...

The same problem occurred to me with choosing June 1983 as a 'best'
summer, because although the water was not off 24/7 - it was off
between 1000 and 1700 where I lived. We filled the bath with water in
the morning, and used a bucketful from that to fill the toilet cistern
each time.

I thought spring 1983 was very wet so even though that year had a
fantastic summer I'm very surprised you had water shortages,
certainly by June.

Yes, you are probably right.

I know that it was definitely 1983, so maybe it was much later in the
summer that the water shortages/rationing started.