The Government last week advised Britons to stock up on tinned food, bottled water and batteries as Britain and America declared war on Iraq. But was the message getting through? This week as the offensive to topple Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein continued, reporter Shelley Smith looked at whether it was business as usual in Knutsford and spoke to some of those who faced rationing during the Second World War

Mollie Maughan did not have time to stock up on essential items such as bread, water and butter before the Second World War.

Money was also scarce in 1939.

"Everything happened so quickly that there was really no time to think about stocking up on food," she said.

"We didn't really have the money to be bulk buying and before we knew it there was rationing."

Last week, though, as President George Bush launched dawn air strikes on Baghdad at the start of a campaign to oust Saddam Hussein and disarm Iraq by force, the 82-year-old admitted she had been stockpiling essentials in the event of an attack on Britain.

"People might not think it is necessary but I've bought one and half litres of water today just to be prepared," she said.

"We just don't know what is going to happen and if our reservoirs are targeted at any time and contaminated, what are we meant to do then?"

Last week the Government advised Britons to prepare for war by storing tinned food, bottled water, blankets, a torch and a battery-operated radio in their homes.

The Home Office website also issued guidance on what to do in the event of a terrorist attack and warned homeowners to familiarise themselves with their surroundings just in case.

"Make sure you know where the main switches for electricity, water and gas are located in your home, as you may need to turn them off in an emergency," it said.

Government officials have, however, stressed that there is no need for the public to buy gas masks or protective clothing - yet.

But for Mollie in 1938, when she was just 17, it was essential.

"I used to carry my gas mask about with me all the time in a little brown box," she said. "It almost turned into my best friend.

"But then it was very different and we had just the bombs whereas now we are talking about chemical warfare which doesn't bear thinking about.

"I don't know how you can prepare for that."

On Thursday as British troops geared up for an invasion newspaper reports suggested some supermarket shelves had been emptied within hours as customers stockpiled essential items.

But it was all quiet on the home front in Knutsford.

"As yet we have not experienced any customer panic buying," said Booths supermarket manager Jonathan Roskell. "Obviously we always endeavour to have stock available of all our products at all times and respond to a shift in pattern of demand."

Stocks of water, bread and tinned food have also remained high in the Co-op Late shop in Princess Street, but company bosses said they could cope with panic buying.

"In response to the Government guidelines issued we will ensure that stocks are available at our stores in order to satisfy customer demand," said a spokesman.

Knutsford businessman Alec Guthrie said some town centre shops had been quieter than normal for this time of year.

"It could be a number of reasons not just the threat of war," he said.

Even Knutsford's petrol stations, where many feared there would be long queues and increased prices when war broke out, have seen no change.

"We've had no panic buying as yet," said a spokesman for the Shell garage in Toft Road.

The Esso garage had also not noticed any difference.

"People may react to what is going on in time but life does go on and that is what people are trying to do," said a spokesman.

Doreen Playdell was just 19 and living in London in 1939 when Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced that Britain had declared war on Nazi Germany because of the invasion of Poland.

But with little money and rationing on the way there was little she could do to prepare for it.

"Money was so tight before war broke out that a lot of people did not even have the chance to stock up on just a few essential items," she said. "Many of us didn't have that choice."

Rationing during the 1939-1945 war meant a daily trip to the corner shop for Doreen and her mum, who were allowed very little food and few clothes.

And that meant queuing in all sorts of weather.

"I had to stand for an hour in a queue once waiting to just buy some oranges which was awful," she said.

"In some ways it was better when I was pregnant towards the end of the war because we got served quicker."

This week, though, Doreen, now 83, said she would not be stocking up with essentials.

"We have to ask what this conflict means for us now and at this stage I don't think we need to stock up," said Doreen, who lives in Ladies Mile with her husband John.

"We are not the ones under attack at the moment and should be thinking of those who are."

At St Luke's in Goostrey, the Rev Professor Tony Sargeant is holding a candlelit vigil every day from 6pm to 9pm.

"Short prayers will be said on every quarter of the hour throughout the evening," he said.

Prayers are also being said at churches throughout the Knutsford area for a swift end to the conflict.

But Mollie, who was working as a hairdresser in London during the Blitz, believes the war with Iraq could escalate.

"I don't like it when people say this war will be over soon because that is what they said when the Second World War started and that went on for six years," she said