The paper deals with a non-conforming finite element method on a class
of anisotropic meshes. The Crouzeix-Raviart element is used on
triangles and tetrahedra. For rectangles and prismatic (pentahedral)
elements a novel set of trial functions is proposed. Anisotropic local
interpolation error estimates are derived for all these types of
element and for functions from classical and weighted Sobolev
spaces. The consistency error is estimated for a general differential
equation under weak regularity assumptions. As a particular
application, an example is investigated where anisotropic finite
element meshes are appropriate, namely the Poisson problem in domains
with edges. A numerical test is described.