a three-story brick building built in the late 19th century, on what is now Mill Hill Lane. In 1933 the ERF lorry company was founded. In 1936 parts of the area of Bradwall, all of Elton and Wheelock were added, significantly increasing the size of the parish. The hamlets transferred from Bradwall were Boothlane Head, Brickhouses, Ettiley Heath, Forge Fields, Hindheath, Elworth and Marsh Green. By 1951 the population had reached 9,253. During Warship Week in December 1941 Sandbach adopted HMS Vimiera as its affiliated ship. The Vimiera was lost on 9 January 1942 when it was sunk by a mine in the Thames Estuary off East Spile Buoy with the loss of 96 hands. Governance Sandbach hosts the administrative headquarters for Cheshire East Council. For the Cheshire East unitary authority elections the town is divided into two wards. From 1875 until 1894 Sandbach was governed by Sandbach Urban Sanitary District. Between 1894 and 1974 the town was governed by Sandbach Urban District Council. In 1974, it was merged with other urban and rural councils to form Congleton Borough Council, which was later dissolved on 31 March 2009. The new authority Cheshire East took over its responsibilities and those of Cheshire County Council on 1 April 2009. Sandbach Town Council has jurisdiction over the parish of Sandbach, not just the town. All meetings are held in the Town Hall. For the purposes of the town council and borough council elections Sandbach is divided into four wards: Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock, Sandbach Heath and East, and Town Ward, and town councillors are elected for terms of four years. A partnership of groups forms the Sandbach Partnership, which is part of the South East Cheshire Enterprise (SECE). Constituencies The town is in the Congleton constituency and the current MP is Fiona Bruce. Before the 2010 General Election the town's MP was Ann Winterton, who served the constituency since 1983. Before its current constituency, Sandbach has been part of five other constituencies: South Cheshire from 1832 to 1867, Mid Cheshire from 1868 to 1885, Crewe from 1885 to 1948, Knutsford from 1949 to 1954 and Crewe from 1955 to 1974. Geography As with most of the United Kingdom, Sandbach has an oceanic climate. {{Weather box |location = Sandbach |metric first = Yes |single line = Yes |Jan high C = 6 |Feb high C = 6 |Mar high C = 9 |Apr