on 16 April. The railway line was later extended round the edge of the fen to Earith Bridge and on to St Ives, with this branch opening on 11 May 1878. The combined line was then reorganised to become the Ely and St Ives Railway. The branch to St Ives was closed on 6 October 1958, followed by the line to Ely on 13 July 1964, as part of the Beeching Axe. In 1942, with the increase in bomber operations in World War II, work began on RAF Mepal between the villages of Sutton and Mepal. The airfield opened in 1943 and remained operational for the rest of the war. During the 1960s, the Sutton Gault hamlet was the site of one of the world's first tracked hovercraft, designed by Eric Laithwaite. This hovertrain was propelled by a linear induction motor and ran alongside the Old Bedford River, on a one-mile section of air-cushion trackway. In 1984, Sutton village was given a bypass. In 2002, it won the East Cambs, Cambridgeshire and Calor England and Wales Village of the Year awards. The village has known a variety of businesses throughout its history. It was once well known for fruit-growing, but has also been a place for cheese production. Later, it manufactured road sweepers, and now it hosts a monthly auction of construction and agricultural equipment, which is the largest of its kind in Europe. In addition, a straw-burning power station was opened in 1996. Governance Sutton is a civil parish with an elected Parish council. Services include community meeting rooms, sports and recreation facilities, a bus shelter, a cemetery, local planning consultation, a community time bank, play area, street lighting, grants to local organisations and a war memorial. Parish council meetings are usually held in either The Glebe or The Pavilion on a Tuesday evening. The village was part of Ely Rural District council from 1894 until 1974. East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC) was formed in 1974 with administration buildings in Ely. The district council collects taxes, provides services such as building regulations and local planning, leisure and tourism, handles issues strategic to the district, and many other services. The village is part of Sutton ward which also includes some smaller neighbouring villages and is represented by two district councillors. East Cambridgeshire is in turn part of Cambridgeshire County Council which has administration buildings in Cambridge. The county council provides