British strikers threaten to end emergency service

February 1, 1983

Britain's striking water and sewage workers toughened their stance Monday, as the stoppage entered its second week with little prospect of a solution. Workers in East Anglia, Oxford, and a South Wales district decided to withdraw emergency cover, and union leaders said other regions were considering following suit. Some 16,000 homes were without water Monday, and 6 million people were being advised to boil water that might not have been properly purified, the National Water Council said.