Lorry hits Leicestershire bridge within hour of reopening

A lorry smashed into a railway bridge within an hour of it reopening following a similar collision.

The road under the bridge in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, had been closed while Network Rail repaired damage caused by a crash in December.

Workers reopened Kettering Road to traffic at 06:00 GMT but it was hit within minutes and was closed again.

The bridge height had been lowered because of wooden slats to allow new mortar to set, and a sign displayed.

It was declared safe for trains to continue to run over it during the repairs, Network Rail said.

Two further lorries were also stopped by workers on Tuesday morning as they drove towards the bridge because they were too big to pass underneath.

This time the damage is not structural but Network Rail said it had decided to close the road again until 19 January "due to high risk of more vehicles hitting the bridge".

Simon Woodfield, senior asset engineer for Network Rail, said: "We really do need drivers to pay attention to road signs and know the height of their vehicles.

"Bridge strikes are not only dangerous but they also cause disruption and cost a great deal of money."

He added every year about 2,000 railway bridges are hit by vehicles and each costs the organisation more than £10,000 a year because they have to pay for repairs and compensation for delayed trains.

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