Network Rail has launched a national campaign to reduce the number of high sided lorries striking railway bridges. Each year there are 2000 such incidents; an average of five per day. During the autumn months this rises to around 10 a day.

 

The railway operator claims that many lorry drivers admit to not knowing the size of their vehicle and do not take into account low bridges when planning their journeys.

 

Ely in Cambridgeshire is home to the most bashed railway bridge in Britain (113 times in eight years), followed by Kenworthy Road in Homerton, east London (99 times) and Thurlow Park Road in Tulse Hill, south London (92 times).

 

Network Rail is working closely with the haulage sector to stop the strikes happening and will also be fitting steel beams to bridges where there are a large number of strikes to reduce their impact.

 

It is also working with local authorities to ensure that road signs displaying bridge heights are correct and is calling for stricter enforcement of penalties for drivers who strike bridges.

 

Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy said: “Size does matter when you're a professional driver in a heavy vehicle. Not knowing the size of your vehicle or load could lead to a serious accident, and the loss of your licence.”

 

He added that every incident creates potential delay for tens of thousands of passengers and costs for taxpayers.

 

“It's only a matter of time before road or rail users are killed as a result of this carelessness; we need professional HGV drivers and their operator employers to get behind and support this campaign to eradicate bridge bashing, which reaches epidemic levels at this time of year.”

 

The Freight Transport Association said it welcomes any campaign which highlights the issue of bridge strikes by vehicles because millions of pounds worth of business is lost every year as a result of bridges being rendered unsafe.

 

But the group's head of road network management policy Malcolm Bingham added: “Drivers and freight operators cannot be left solely responsible for the problems which occur. Highway authorities need to undertake regular checks of signage at bridges to ensure they are clear, legible and accurate, particularly after road resurfacing has taken place.”