Britons Freeze

Press, Volume C, Issue 29706, 27 December 1961, Page 13

Britons Freeze

IN.Z.P A.-Reuter— Copyright) LONDON, December 25. Cricketers putting in stumps with hammer and chisel for a i traditional Christmas Day ■ match, skating on village, ponds, Rugby League pitches, covered with ice. That was | Britain's picture today, I Christmas Day. The country froze in one I of the coldest Christmases in ] living me lory. The highest temperature was 45deg—in the Scilly Isles off Land's End. Most of the rest of the country stayed well within the 30's. The coldest places were Renfrew, and Lyneham, in Scotland, which had a maximum of 28deg. In London, Christmas Day came in with a midnight temperature of 31deg. The fountains in Trafalgar square were frozen over. At 9am. it was 27deg. Many people went to Wimbledon Common to skate on the ponds. However, in spite of the cold. 28 swimmers went to the Serpentine in Hyde Park for the annual race. The oldest was aged 79. In many villages in southern England it was also cold enough to go skating on the ponds. A heavy demand for electricity caused by cooking Christmas dinners and heating of homes caused failures in several centres including Sheffield and Glasgow. Some householders did not even have power to cook breakfast.