KEITH HAMILTON looks through past editions of the Echo and reviews the issues which made the headlines

50 Years Ago Alec Bennett Garage in Portswood had just taken delivery of the new model Hillman Minx Magni-ficent costing £395. "New plus-power engine gives you more speed at the getaway, more power on the hills yet running costs are as low as ever,'' said the Daily Echo advert.

40 Years Ago There was a great deal of unrest in Totton over the design of new concrete lampposts that were beginning to appear around the area. "If they don't look like a cobra about to vomit then they are like a concrete hawk forever hovering over traffic,'' one resident told the Daily Echo.

30 Years Ago The Top Rank ten-pin bowling centre in Bani-ster Park, Southampton, was charging 5s (25p) a game with shoe hire 1s.

The city's new £10,550 footbridge spanning Bassett Avenue, from Golf Course Road to Glen Eyre Road was voted a definite hit by residents.

20 Years Ago Conservationists urged Southampton City Council to cut back on the amount of office space in plans for the city's Western Esplanade development. Civic leaders were told that a caravan park was also urgently needed in the development to cater for holidaymakers using the ferries.

10 Years Ago The slump in the housing market slowed wage increases needed by people in the South to maintain living standards, said latest government figures. The research showed house values in the region had fallen by more than seven per cent in six months.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.