Widnes is a town in the Cheshire, England, It is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn. An upstream and 8 mile (13 km) to the east is the town of Warrington, and downstream 16 miles (26 km) to the west is the neighbouring area of Speke, of the city of Liverpool. Widnes continues to be an industrial town and its major industry is still the manufacture of chemicals although there has been some diversification in recent years. There has been considerable development of shopping areas in the town.