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 along with the Benfleet Urban District in the Local Government Act 1972 to form the local government district and borough of Castle Point. Since the 2010 General Election, the Member of Parliament representing the parliamentary constituency of Castle Point has been Rebecca Harris of the Conservative Party. Canvey holds two seats on Essex County Council. , the seat of Canvey Island West is represented by Ray Howard of the Conservative Party, while Canvey Island East is taken by Brian Wood (replaced in May 2013 by Dave Blackwell) of the Canvey Island Independent Party. Canvey is represented on Castle Point Borough