Sandford Bridge takes the A530, Nantwich to Whitchurch road over the River Weaver. It is situated between Broomhall and Aston at SJ61972 47031.
This is a very old river crossing. Described in 1621 as “Over the Weever for horses and newly made by this Hundred” (in this case Nantwich). It is one of a few bridges over the river Weaver marked on the Cheshire map by Blaeu in 1646.
In 1958 two lorries collided on Sandford Bridge. The drivers had narrow escapes from serious injury. One of the vehicles, an articulated tanker owned by United Dairies Ltd. was left overhanging the bridge, facing a drop of several feet into the River Weaver, after the collision. Part of the load of eight tons of metal piping and paper from the other vehicle, a British Road Services lorry from Trafford Park, Manchester was thrown into the river and an adjoining field. The main Nantwich to Whitchurch road was blocked for more than 12 hours after the collision.
In 1975 a B.P. tanker jack-knifed, and overturned, spilling more than half its load of 2,000 gallons (7,570 litres) of caustic soda into the River Weaver. Fish life from Sandford Bridge to below Batherton (a distance of over 12 miles) were wiped out. Species lost included berbel, bream, bullheads, chub, dace, roach, perch, pike, trout as well as eels, freshwater shrimps and sticklebacks.
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