2-847-793 - Historic England Archive/Heritage Images

A view of the construction of the Stafford By-pass on the Birmingham to Preston Motorway (M6), looking north across Rising Brook towards the Highfields Farm access bridge and showing Laing excavators and a bulldozer carrying out peat removal. In the album, the typed caption below the photograph reads 'Looking north across Rising Brook where large pocket of peat (50,000 cu.yds) is being removed and replaced with clay backfill prior to the motorway embankment being constructed. Background shows Highfields Farm access bridge, which is virtually complete.' The work on the Stafford By-pass started in June 1960 and was opened to traffic in August 1962.