Cost of living: 1972 was the year of the three-day week, miners' strike, inflation and black outs

Jane Hesketh has been speaking to people who remember the cost of living crisis of 1972

It was the year that David Bowie performed Starman on Top of the Pops, Apollo 16 was scheduled to head to the moon, and the Godfather had its movie premiere in New York.

1972 was also the year that gave Britain the miners' strike, the three-day week, record inflation and regular energy blackouts. 

According to classified records that are now publicly available, the Conservative cabinet of Edward Heath was warned the country was facing its worst economic crisis since the Second World War.

Footage from the time shows workers in darkened stores with torches and gas lamps to light the way for shoppers. 

Candle production went into overdrive and people stockpiled them to use during the enforced blackouts.

Christine Lambert from Leicester remembers it well. Speaking at an Age UK bingo session,  she told ITV News Central: "I remember when the electricity strike was on and we had power cuts. 

"We had to come home on the bus in jet black, which wasn't very nice. You imagine how it must have been for the bus drivers when there is no power or street lighting, that's what I remember most."

Sue Rodriguez also goes to Age UK. She said: "We only had a gas fire, we couldn't afford central heating in the house.

"There was a gas fire in the lounge so we had to shower and stay downstairs, with extra layers of clothes, sleeping with woolly hats and gloves and socks, it was very cold then in the 70s."

Keith Twigg remembers the three-day week and supplementing his income by signing onto 'the dole'.

He said: "To get our dole money we had to go snow clearing, and clear it off roads into big wagons.

"The ice was dumped into the canal and we didn't get our dole money 'til we took our shovels back."

There is a potential parallel between 1972 and today. 

Inflation is at a 40-year high, and in double digits. The latest reports from the Bank of England say it could take "at least 2 years" to get it to the preferred rate of 2%. 

Petrol prices and energy bills are soaring. The government under Liz Truss dismissed any suggestion of restricting energy supplies to homes or businesses, describing it as a "worst case scenario".

Candles and gas lamps certainly wouldn't help in a world of contactless payment systems  and computerised tills.

But Keith is trying to stay positive. He said: "We will survive, because all the people here today are survivors, they survived the war years, and if you can survive that you can survive anything."