Long clothes lines crammed full of billowing sheets, shirts and more intimate garments were common  until the 1950s.
It was said that you could tell what day of the week it was simply by looking out of the window – Monday was wash day.

Then the launch of labour-saving tumble driers and the growing number of women going out to work brought about a change in habits.

However, many families have had to think again as they try to trim their household bills and do their bit for the environment.

All the tumble driers in Britain use 4,250 gigawatt hours of electricity a year – one gigawatt is enough to power 240 homes for a year. The electricity bill for running all these driers is £440million, according to the Energy Saving Trust.

Asda’s laundry buyer, Chris Burns, said: “After decades of decline, the sight of a washing line full of drying clothes is becoming a familiar sight again.

“Thousands of people have  decided that the potential embarrassment of having their smalls on display on a washing line is far less important than saving energy.”

The Energy Saving Trust said: “The trend that householders are choosing to dry their washing outdoors to save energy is encouraging.

“Where possible, and particularly while the weather is fine, drying clothes outdoors is a great way to cut down on the energy you use.

“If you can’t dry your clothes outside, however, and do need to use a tumble drier, look for the Energy Saving Recommended logo when you buy your appliance."