The last time connectivity at Holyhead was seriously impacted was on May 23, 1970, when a fire destroyed the Britannia Bridge, which connected Anglesey to Wales. The bridge was closed for two years until it was repaired.
The blaze was ignited by a group of teenagers whose party had been cancelled by their colleague’s parents. They lit a paper inside the bridge to see if there were bats and then accidentally dropped it
The bridge dates to 1850 and carried the Chester to Holyhead railway across the Menai Strait.
The road deck which now carries the A55 road which was added following the fire, one benefit to come from the blaze.
A young Lulu Jones later recalled spotting the fire during a walk with a neighbour and was interviewed by journalists at the time. “We saw sparks starting to drop; first a few and then more and more, and then suddenly there was smoke starting to come out. A little bit at first, and then smoke just started gushing out and I remember thinking this isn’t really right, I’m sure this is quite serious. I dialled 999 and was saying to the police officer ‘the bridge is on fire’ and he said ‘what bridge’, and I said ‘the tubular bridge’. “He said ‘do you read Enid Blyton books?’ “I remember they sent one lone police minivan, and then all hell was let loose.”
