THE Ripper's killing spree left a blanket of fear covering West Yorkshire for six years.
It is hard now to imagine the effect one man had on the lives of millions of people.
But Peter Sutcliffe was Britain's worst serial killer and created a climate of fear as the murders went on.
Former West Yorkshire Chief Constable Keith Hellawell - who met Sutcliffe several times after he had been jailed - was a detective in the inquiry.
In his book The Outsider he wrote: "Ordinary citizens were wrapped in fear, not knowing when or where the murderer would strike again.
"It is difficult to imagine the degree of apprehension he aroused.
"The mere fact he was at large affected the behaviour of the whole community and it was as if the county was under siege."
Hipperholme man Geoff Horan, 54, remembers the time well.
He was a patient in the former Royal Halifax Infirmary when Josephine Whitaker became Peter Sutcliffe's 10th victim in nearby Savile Park on April 4, 1979.
Geoff, who then ,lived in Brighouse, said: "The young nurses were all scared and arranging lifts home.
"For those whose relatives could not pick them up, people arranged to escort them home."
Geoff's wife, Mary, took two buses from their Brighouse home to visit him - but he begged her not to make any more trips.
"It was just too dangerous," he said. "It's hard now to imagine the effect the Ripper had on people.
"Everyone was suspicious of everyone else. Once darkness had fallen most women were too terrified to go out.
"This man's evil spread beyond his crimes into the very fabric of society.
"There were roadblocks all over and police stopped people for just one reason - to catch the Ripper.
"The sales manager I worked with was a Geordie and he was pulled in a few times for questioning, especially as he travelled a lot."
Steve Carter was one of the hundreds of police put under pressure.
He would often work a full day, then carry on until 2am the next morning, carrying out observations in Huddersfield's red light area.
These officers' job was to note down the numbers, makes and models of cars in the area.
Any car spotted in two or more different red light areas would lead to their driver being questioned - eventually.
The investigation was so big that it could sometimes be many months before the drivers were traced and quizzed.
Steve, who retired in 1997, said: "I'd just become a father that year, so wasn't at home as much as I wanted to be to help out.
"After the Helen Rytka murder in January, 1978, all days off were cancelled for several weeks. And we worked seven days a week.
"After a while we were eventually allowed one day off a week.
"It put quite a strain on people with young families.
"But everyone in the police was desperate to catch the Ripper and those in the force had the utmost respect for senior officers, such as Dick Holland."
Even the observations had their lighter moments.
When Steve and a colleague were in a car on Alder Street, Hillhouse, doing the observations, a prostitute knocked on the window.
When Steve wound it down she thrust two bags of shopping inside.
"Look after them for me, will you love," she said. "I'm only doing an hour tonight."
Another funny moment happened to Rastrick man Phil Fox.
He was stopped at a roadside checkpoint - dressed as a wolf.
Phil, now 57, had been to a party in Sowerby Bridge with his girlfriend.
She was Little Red Riding Hood and he was the wolf - dressed up as granny, complete with pink nightie.
Phil said: "I had a beard and thick black hair at the time.
"It was a young copper who stopped us and when I got out of the car in the pink nightie his face went an even brighter pink!"
Phil was also stopped for having his car overloaded with students.
He had taken his daughter to see the band Theatre Of Hate at Bradford University - but after the gig all her friends were going to walk home to Wyke.
He said: "There was no way I was going to let them walk anywhere, with the Ripper on the prowl. So they all squeezed into my estate car.
"The police followed me and when I stopped to drop some passengers off they asked me to get out.
"They must have decided I wasn't the Ripper and gave me a ticking off for having too many people in the car.
"But there was no way I was going to let them walk home."
A man didn't return to work in Huddersfield town centre one lunchtime.
A woman in Boots was convinced he looked like one of the Ripper Photofits.
Police arrested him - but his long black hair turned out to be a wig!
