A5 ‘most bashed bridge’ may get fixed this year

The rail bridge over the A5 Watling Street near Hinckley was struck 22 times between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, confirming its status as the most bashed bridge in the country.

Engineering a fix has been delayed by about two years but now National Highways has said a technical review of a road-lowering plan would progress in the coming weeks and it was hoped work could begin later this year.

However, councillors fear the "highly complex" scheme might still be unviable.

The road-lowering plan was approved when permission was granted for a large logistics park near the bridge in June 2023. Developer Mountpark said it would fund the project and is working with National Highways on final proposals.

Hinckley and Bosworth Councillor Paul Williams updated BBC Leicester’s Ben Jackson on the latest developments.