Back
Cleddau Bridge disaster: 50th anniversary of fatal collapse
Jun 2, 2020
It was meant to be a £2m symbol of a booming economy - but it would prove to have a fatally flawed design that would cause devastation.
On a hot 2 June, 1970, a 150-tonne section of the part-built Cleddau Bridge crashed onto the village below.
Amid the rubble, four workers had been killed and five injured in a disaster that was to change bridge building.
Now there are calls for a stolen memorial plaque to be replaced as part of the 50th anniversary.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Near miss: Phil Lloyd's family lived in the white house next to the bridge
PC Phil Lloyd had just begun his shift at Pembroke Dock police station in Pembrokeshire when the fire siren sounded at 14:16 BST.
"I presumed it was just another chimney fire as usual," he said.
"But when I went into the switchboard the operator told me my mother-in-law was on the phone. She shouted, 'The bridge has come down!'.
"I told her to stop being so dull but she said there was hell to pay down there."
His mother-in-law, Ivy Lewis, lived in Pembroke Ferry, on the south side of the river, directly under the bridge which had begun being built across the estuary the previous year.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The 70m section was being cantilevered out to the next pillar when it collapsed
With the development of local oil refineries, industries and the nearby Milford Haven port, a bridge was needed to cut out a 20-mile round-trip for vehicles.
5Shares
0Comments
1Favorites
6Likes
Say something to impress...
Loading...
Comments
Hot

No content at this moment.

Relevant people
BBC News
134121 Followers
News and more.
Related