Betty Bean, 61, regaled all who would listen with stories of how “When I were a lass, we had frost on the inside of the windows!”

Meanwhile, Jake Neskini, 22, said he had had enough of hearing about “ice on the Thames” from his parents.

It is thought that any adverse weather automatically triggers a response in those over fifty, who then feel compelled to inform their assorted descendants about how they’ve “never had it so good”. As well as the classic ice on the inside of the windows and the Thames freezing solid, other favourites include “the time it was so foggy you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face but still went to work” and “that month when it rained for twenty-eight days and we had to swim eight miles to school”.

Historians said that few of the stories had been proven, but that over-fifties had a great capacity for “mis-remembering” details. Dayve Cheesington, an Expert Scientist from Longsands School’s new Ernulf campus, said that he intended to look into the situation more deeply. “If you speak to my nan you get the impression that in the 1940′s, Britain was permanently under an icy lake of foggy water, but of course they ‘muddled through’. I think this is pure bollocks of the ‘A-levels were harder in my day’ variety.”

Cheesington will be interviewing anyone over fifty who can remember their own name accurately within the next few weeks.

Even the most fervent supporters of St Neots lifestyle and living have been surprised at how exclusive these riverside apartments have now become.

However Twiggy Holmes, local property developer and housing magnate, showed little shock at this turn of events. ” We always knew that land prone to flooding, its own health centre, Tesco’s on the doorstep and a view of the bypass would attract massive interest from the million pound plus market.” She added, “Most people think Sandbanks is exclusive but actually all the properties are inhabited. So far only one person lives on the Eynesbury Riviera, how much more exclusive can you get?”

Ms Holmes was less forthcoming about the accusation that the development’s increased status had only come about due to Oi!! Magazine referring to it as “Eynesbury Riviera” rather than “Eynesbury Marina” and that this had resulted in Google searches returning it just above the Cote D’Azure. “What utter tosh,” she continued, “everyone knows what a rag that magazine is, frankly our marketing department identified its potential years ago and we’ve been promoting it as a rival to any of the world’s property hotspots for ages.”

Interestingly, the Riviera’s only occupant, Thundopolus P. Staker is in fact Oi!!’s infamous editor. In a rare interview Staker told us “Yer well, in this market my capital was well reducing so I came up wiv the Riviera moniker and now my gaff’s wurf about 5 mil- serweet! I thought I might call it Eastbanks but that just sounded like a telly programme”.

Prince Albert II of Monaco was unavailable for comment.