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
Dee Estuary channel which it cut through the base of the Wirral Peninsula. The estuary is a major wildlife area and one of the most important estuaries in Britain, amongst the most important in Europe for its populations of waders and wildfowl. The Environment Agency is the Conservation Authority, and the estuary is protected or listed under several schemes: Large parts of the area are within the RSPB's Dee Estuary Nature Reserve. The estuary supports some important natural fisheries, including salmon and trout on their way to and from the freshwater river, as well as sea-fisheries and shell-fisheries, especially cockles. From earliest