In December 2000 Sutton Bridge had its biggest news story since King John lost his jewels in the Wash in the 13th century and it was certainly as big as some Methodist vicar holding a protest in Barclays Bank in Terrington St Clements. Yes this was a real story. A ship had tried to turn around at the busy Port Sutton Bridge but had unfortunately (or stupidly depending on your point of view) ran aground on the silty banks of the Nene (pronounced Neen by the way!) To add to the misery (or hilarity depending on your point of view) the ship began to crack up and was carrying a fairly hefty consignment of oil. Booms had to be laid out to contain the anticipated spillage. In the event little oil actually came out.

The salvage operation has proved to be costly and is expected to cost around £1 million, and take several weeks. In the meantime, the essential port of Wisbech arguably (if you wanted to lose an argument) the main hub of the Fens infrastructure, was left blocked.

Unsurprisingly the ship became a major tourist attraction and even on a dull Tuesday after the end of the Christmas/New Year holidays, a few sightseers (excluding MFVCS members) were evident. The road around the ship had been blocked off, meaning a long diversion for the bloke with the smart car who lives at Guys Head lighthouse. Mind you, no-one seemed to be adhering to the road closure.

The closure of Wisbech port seemed to be doing wonders for Port Sutton Bridge which was a hive of activity on the day of our visit. The conspiracy theorists among the MFVCS believe the whole thing could have been an elaborate ploy by some devious Sutton Bridge residents with the following aims a) To raise the profile of Sutton Bridge and its port b) To get more shipping to Port Sutton Bridge c) To promote Sutton Bridge as a tourist attraction and d) To provide an adequate, if temporary, excuse for why nobody has seen the Sutton Bridge bridge turn!