A traffic accident hotspot bridge which has the unfortunate accolade of being one of the most-hit bridges in the UK, has been hit by a vehicle again. The collision occured when a lorry struck the bridge on Thursday (February 16), which resulted in access to Thames Street in Staines being blocked from both directions.
A Hardstaff Barriers lorry became lodged underneath the bridge after a sideloader it was carrying hit the wall. The yellow vehicle can be seen balancing precariously one one side, the wheels at its front tilting towards the pavement.
The accident caused rail disruption where some overland trains travelling directly over the bridge, had to be slowed down. This was to allow rail staff to ensure the track was aligned, reports SurreyLive.
A spokesperson for Network Rail said: "We heard about the incident at 8.30am. We had to slow trains down over the bridge until we could check the track was aligned properly.
"The lorry was the right height to pass under the bridge but the load was not. Trains resumed normal services at 9.05am with minor delays."
Subscribe here for the latest news where you live
Network Rail named Thames Street Bridge in 2021 as among the most-hit in Britain with 10 strikes between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021. The average cost was around £13,000 per strike.
Railway bridge collisions cost the UK taxpayer around £23 million annually. In 2021, Nigel Rowe, of Riverside Residents (Staines) Coalition, said: "I knew the Thames Street bridge got hit a lot, but I didn't realise it was in Britain's top ten… probably not a proud boast.
"The only comment we'd make on bridges in Staines is that all three (Thames Street, the Iron Bridge, and Staines Bridge) are obvious, debilitating and unaffordable-to-fix pinch points severely and permanently constraining access to the town."
Hardstaff Barriers, whose website says 'their purpose is to provide safe spaces to protect people and property' provided safety barriers for a primary school during the coronavirus. Its HQ is based in Nottingham.
SurreyLive has contacted Hardstaff and Surrey Police for comment.
