callum91.. Back in the early days, Airways control throughout the UK was in the hands of Air Traffic Controllers grade 2 (ATCOII). They were the executive "D" Controllers (don't ask me what the D meant - maybe "decisions?). They basically did the controlling but were backed up by ATCOIII controllers on radar. If a traffic situation could not be resolved procedurally, the radar man was called upon to sort out the situation and then hand back to the D controller when it was resolved. (I worked this system when I was abroad for several years. I was a D man with radar backup). I don't know the extent of UK radar cover in those days, but guess it would have covered most of the airways.
Apologies in advance if any of the above is not quite accurate; there are some ATCOs on here from those days who might able to correct things - my brain tends to hurt nowadays..