Summer storms are not unusual in East Hampshire – but few have left such a trail of chaos, sodden socks, and soggy library books as the one that struck Alton on the evening of Thursday, August 7, 1975.

At around 5.30pm, as commuters made their way home and pubs began to fill, the heavens opened. A torrential thunderstorm tore across the town, dumping 2.66 inches of rain in just a few hours. By Friday morning, Alton awoke under sunny skies – only to find itself half underwater.

The Alton Public Library was among the first casualties. Staff were forced to close its doors at 6.30pm on Thursday as water lapped at the entrance.

“It seems to have been about the first place for a lake to form,” said librarian Mr G.S. Frater. “Several books have been damaged, most of them stored in cardboard boxes in the garage and storeroom.”

Not far away, the newly opened Alton Community Centre also took a hit. Positioned at the low-lying junction of Amery Street, Amery Hill and Vicarage Hill, it proved a natural collection point for the runoff. Water crept in overnight, soaking part of the tiled floor and a roll of carpet. By Friday morning, volunteers had arrived to clear the debris and begin the long process of drying out.

But the award for most determined customer base surely went to the patrons of the Bakers Arms on Alton High Street. Undeterred by six inches of water in the bar, punters simply took off their shoes and socks, rolled up their trousers and paddled for their pint.

“I was paddling too,” said landlord Mr J.D. Onyon, as drinkers ran a piggyback shuttle from the front door to the lounge bar. “They must be regulars!”

Over at the Swan Hotel in Lion High Street, the mood was less jolly. The ground floor was flooded and a staggering nine feet of water filled the beer cellar, ruining £400 worth of beer (roughly £4,000 in today’s money).

“We couldn’t save the beer,” said manager Mr J.H. Dewey, as Alton firefighters worked to pump it out.

The storm left its mark in other ways too. A council house on Lipscombe Rise was struck by lightning, causing minor structural damage, and fire crews were dispatched to homes and businesses across the town – from the Old Mill and Barclays Bank to cottages in Lenten Street and beyond. Calls came in from Burnett Road, The Glen, and Copley Manor. Lightning also knocked out electricity in much of the area, with hundreds of homes left without power for hours. At Tubbs Farm in Hawkley, a transformer had to be replaced after a direct strike.

Back in the valley between Amery Street and Vicarage Hill, the River Wey surged above its banks, cutting off residents and swallowing the street. Broken-down cars were towed away and women were rescued from marooned vehicles. Yet even here, the scene had its moments of comedy: a group of teenagers climbed into a rubber dinghy and rowed from Amery Street to Vicarage Hill.

They propelled their craft over the swollen Outbound – something not seen on the river since the Battle of Britain, when a rowing boat was placed on the water and ARP personnel, after the all-clear was sounded, rowed across.

One long-time resident who had lived along the riverbank for 61 years said: “This sort of flooding is rare – but not unheard of. When it rains like that, Outbound gets the full blast.”

Fifty years on, as the summer heat builds and thunderstorms loom once again, it might be wise to check the drains... and maybe keep a dinghy handy, just in case.