Isle of Sheppey Yantlet Creek at the Isle of Grain to the west, it was occasionally used in ancient times by shipping to and from ports such as Chatham and London to reduce exposure to bad weather in the Thames Estuary or North Sea. The Kingsferry Bridge was first built in 1860, thus eliminating the need for ferries. Over time, there have been four bridges built over the Swale at this point. All bridges had to allow sufficient clearance for shipping heading to the commercial docks at Ridham: On 5 September 2013, fog caused a 130 vehicle pile-up on the Sheppey Crossing bridge
Canvey Island Independent Party to form the local government district and borough of Castle Point, ending Canvey Island's existence as a separate entity in local government. The Canvey Island Independents were established in 2004 to campaign for a return to Canvey Island's autonomy, which had been abolished 32 years previously. They argued that the current local government arrangements - which saw more councillors elected to the Borough Council from the mainland - were unfair to the residents of Canvey Island. They also campaigned for more power to be devolved to Canvey Island Town Council, a parish council subordinate to Castle Point which is responsible