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

50 Years Ago Southampton Town Council began a big operation to clear local bomb sites for the Festival of Britain which was to be staged the following year.

Private owners of bomb sites were urged to help to clear damaged buildings and debris from the Blitz ten years earlier.

40 Years Ago The Ministry of Transport announced it was to spend more than £1 million on improving the Totton to Redbridge road causeway.

The port of Southampton said that in the first seven months of the year the total amount of tonnage handled in the docks had been 15,616,733.

30 Years Ago Firemen answering an emergency call at Southampton University found sensitive alarm equipment had been set off by a swarm of flies.

The second Southampton boat show began at Mayflower Park and was officially opened by actor Warren Mitchell.

20 Years Ago Hopeful job hunters at Lymington found the Job Centre in High Street closed due to staff shortages.

Southampton City Council finally won its battle to close down a private cinema in St Mary Street which had been showing uncensored films.

10 Years Ago Green Party activists attending a national conference branded Southampton's Weston Shore beach as "among the dirtiest in the country.''

They urged Southampton City Council to reveal how it planned to clear up the beach and keep it clean.

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