You’ve probably been over them. You might have even been under them. The famous bridges allow English people to come to the wonderful country that is Wales. But here are ten things you probably never knew about the Severn Bridges
1. Back in the 1800s, the only way that people could get from one side of the Bristol Channel to the other was by taking a running jump at it. As you’d expect, not many people were successful and most ended up getting wet.
2. It wasn’t until the 1960s that cars were invented and it wasn’t long before some English motorists were desperate to get to Wales to see how lush it is. A small group met in a pub near Portishead and decided that they needed to build a bridge over the estuary. Sadly, their efforts came to nothing because they all got too pissed and had forgotten about it the next day.
3. In the early 1960s, the UK government decided that there should be a bridge from England into Wales. This would allow the English to plunder Welsh treasures more easily than people like Edward ever I did.
4. The first Severn Bridge, called The Severn Bridge, opened in 1966. The ribbon was cut by Benny Hill, who later went on to record the hit single, Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West).
5. The first official driver to arrive at the toll booth didn’t have the correct change and was forced to turn around and to go and get some change from the nearby Aust service station. He returned an hour later, after stopping off for some eggs and chips, only to find that 300 motorists had already made the journey over the bridge and into Wales.
6. Aust service station was opened around the same time as the Severn Bridge. Probably about 10am. It is now open 24 hours a day, every day of the week, apart from night times and weekends.
7. A second Severn Crossing was deemed necessary in the 1990s. It was constructed by a small team of brickies from Swansea, who charged £400 for the entire job. They even took away their own skip and took away all the Greggs paper bags they’d collected during the week.
8. Over 400 billion people cross into Wales over the two bridges every day. Some cars are allowed back out into England but only after they’ve had their tyres nicked and their aerials snapped off.
9. There are plans to build a third Severn Bridge. It will run between Pembroke and North Devon, and is expected to be called The Third Severn Bridge.
10. The Second Severn Bridge was recently renamed as the Prince Of Wales Bridge. This was done to reward Prince Charles for all the fetes and jumble sales he’s opened in Wales during his tenure of Prince of Wales.
