The temperature has dropped slightly in recent days with Monday night being one of the coldest for weeks.

But it’s been veritably tropical compared to this time 40 years ago, with the mercury dipping to eye-opening levels in parts of East Hampshire and Waverley.

The South was in the grip of a big freeze with Liphook being confirmed as the coldest place in the UK.

Official weather recorder John Bourne measured a temperature of -18.6 in his garden early on Monday, February 10, 1986, with snow turning the area into a winter wonderland.

“A few years back we had -22.7 degrees at Liphook,” said the 72-year-old in saying the temperature was one of the coldest he had ever known in East Hampshire.

The county also enjoyed its best showing of the Northern Lights for 20 years with the spectacle clearly visible from high points like The Hog’s Back and Old Winchester Hill.

Remarkably, East Hampshire police reported no accidents despite the icy conditions.

A spokesperson praised motorists for “driving carefully” in the freezing conditions with the main problem being breakdowns and emergency calls from stranded drivers.

The spokesperson added: “The main problems have been engines overheating because the water in their radiators has frozen, and lorry drivers who have had diesel fuel freezing solid in their tank.”

The sight of sledgers on Butser Hill and Catherington Down was commonplace around the time with Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards thrilling the world with his airborne antics at the Winter Olympics in Calgary.

But moderation was encouraged, with would-be skaters being urged to stay off the frozen Frensham Pond and Petersfield Heath Pond.

And there was also an unwelcome price for people who parked at the side of the A3 at Butser to go sledging, with many given parking tickets.