With only one bus into town a day the residents of Peopleton are bracing themselves for isolation should petrol rationing be imposed.

The 1973 -'74 energy crisis led to the introduction of a 50mph speed limit on motorways, a plea to reduce usage, rationing and an increase in petrol prices to an unprecedented 50p a gallon. At Peopleton in Worcestershire villagers tell Peter Green how they would cope (or not) without a car. With such a limited bus service it's going to be difficult. The opening sections of this report are silent, anticipating a car-less future.

The so called Energy Crisis was caused by an Arab embargo on fuel supplies to countries that had supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War. Supplies to Europe were generally maintained although commodity trading pushed the price up. A greater problem in Britain was the on-going coal miners' strike which eventually led to a change in Government in 1974.