From the Calendar archives: When Britain sizzled in the heatwave of 1976

This summer it feels as though we've spent more time reaching for our umbrellas than our sunglasses.

It was a very different story 40 years ago, when here in the Calendar region, we experienced the heat wave of the century.

The summer of 1976 was - and remains - our longest recorded spell of hot weather. The UK basked in three months of sunshine, and, for fifteen consecutive days, the mercury hit 32 degrees Celsius.

Click below to take a look back at that long hot summer.