But unknown to me back home in Lightcliffe, which was not really affected by the bad weather, it was a totally different story down the hill from home in Bailiff Bridge where it was all flooded. This extended along Bradford Road and was particularly bad outside the Martin’s Nest pub. Further flooding was seen in Brighouse town centre particularly the low lying parts of the town where it was all flooded.  

Surprisingly a London News Flash sent out at 10.01am that day said, ‘Heatwave expected to continue and another scorching day is expected with temperatures rising to a maximum of 88 degrees (31c)’, said a London weather centre spokesman…. How wrong they were with the flood being declared as the worst since 1946.

Victoria School at Rastrick had its first-floor ceiling collapse, owing to the severity of the downpour, and falling on top of some of the school’s pupils who included Sheila Connor who was injured and had to go to the hospital, other pupils including Paul Hitchin had near misses and all had to be sent home.

Brighouse Girls Grammar School fared no better when part of its ceiling came down near the science laboratory and a number of other ceilings experienced serious cracking in the plaster. Water poured down the full length of the building’s staircase and caused a small torrent in the corridor once it hit the ground floor. Whilst the younger girls were all sent home those from the fifth and sixth forms joined in helping one of the mopping up parties.

All previous floods had always badly affected the low lying parts of the town centre particularly in the streets around Sugden flour mills; Daisy Street, Croft Street, Lower Briggate, Millroyd Street and Bridge Road. With these streets occupied by rows of terraced properties many with cellars to see that area would have resembled some of the recent flooding scenes, we all saw in Hebden Bridge.

I am sure like me many readers will have had the rare event of a washer door bursting open and the kitchen flooded with a few gallons of water but to have hundreds of gallons pouring down the street and forcing its way through your doors, windows, up through cellar grates and drain manholes is unimaginable for those never having that terrible experience.

At Sugden’s, there was a lot of stock damaged and the volume of water forced the rare halt of the flour mills production – the electric motor that powered the machinery at the peak of the flood was underwater. T.F.Firth’s lost a lot of stock, and Bailiff Bridge at one stage was practically impassable – all the staff being diverted from their normal work to water mopping up duties. Even Chairman Michael Akroyd was seen walking through the mill and village wearing clear polythene bags over his shoes and above his knees as makeshift waders. It was a similar story down at Blakeborough’s with many of its old cellars flooded.

To appreciate just how deep the flooding was at Bailiff Bridge we feature this photo showing the depth of water in the middle of the crossroads.

I would be pleased to hear your memories of that unforgettable day in the summer of 1968 – please contact me on e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.