A5 Watling Street: Why do vehicles keep hitting this railway bridge?

On Wednesday a railway bridge – which previously held the title for Britain’s most bashed – was hit by a lorry for the 13th time in 2024.

And it was revealed last year that the A5 Watling Street bridge in Hinckley, Leicestershire, had been hit by high vehicles 88 times between 2017 and September 2022.

It begs the question – why does this keep happening?

The A5 was closed in both directions on Wednesday morning after a lorry crashed into the railway bridge and shed its load.

The road was closed between the A47 and junction 1 of the M69 and later reopened.

There were no reports of any injuries, Leicestershire Police confirmed.

The bridge was dubbed the “most bashed” in Britain when it was hit 25 times between 2019 and 2020.

Network Rail reported that the railway bridge saw crashes almost once a fortnight on average in the year to the end of March.

Later, between 2022 and 2023, it lost that particular title – and instead became the sixth most bashed bridge, according to Network Rail statistics.

And since October 2023 to the present day, the bridge has been struck 14 times – a rise from the same one-year period between October 2022 and October 2023.

Transport body Midlands Connect analysed four occasions when the bridge was hit and found the resulting traffic delays cost the economy a combined £126,000.

It also calculated the cost of rail delays for 10 incidents during 2019, which caused nearly 4,000 passengers to be delayed, to be roughly £43,000 to the economy.

Midlands Connect said regular collisions at the bridge had caused more than 4,400 hours of road delays each year, adding the real cost of bridge strikes could be significantly higher than the figure calculated.

Network Rail said bridge strikes costed the UK taxpayer an estimated £23m per year.

Swati Mittal, integrated transport programme lead at Midlands Connect, said: “Bridge strikes in Hinckley cost businesses, commuters and residents thousands of hours of delays every year.

“It’s no surprise that we are seeing another strike, adding to the already long list of evidence for upgrades to this road.

“This bridge regularly tops lists of some of Britain’s most bashed bridges and we know the impact of these strikes is felt across the Midlands.

“We continue to work to highlight the strategic and economic importance of this route our region.”

Dr Luke Evans, the Conservative MP for Hinckley and Bosworth, said changes were needed after Wednesday’s crash.

The MP said he had arranged a meeting with the government to push for work to be carried out.

On Thursday, he posted on social media: “Every time the Watling Street bridge is hit – like it was yesterday – Hinckley, Higham on the Hill, Wykin and Burbage become a rat run, putting even more pressure on the roads in our town and villages.

“This morning I reiterated the issue of the Watling Street bridge and the need for improvements to the A5 with the new transport secretary.

“I’m pleased to have secured a meeting with the roads minister and will continue to push for the necessary improvements.”

Leicestershire county councillor David Bill, whose division covers the bridge, says drivers are warned that it is low clearance, but on occasion “somebody just ignores the obvious concern and they just press on and crash into the bridge”.

He added: “It’s extraordinary the number of drivers who are reckless and think that they can get a tall vehicle under a small bridge.”

When asked why the bridge continues to be struck, Samantha Pinnock – National Highways route manager – said the agency inspected its A-roads weekly as standard.

“Should any defects be identified, including worn road markings or inadequate signage, these are acted upon,” she said.

“Safety is always our priority and we work closely with police and transport industry partners to help make our roads as safe as they can possibly be.

“We’d remind all road users and particularly HGV drivers about the importance of knowing the height of your vehicle and planning your route in advance – follow the road signs, not just the sat-nav.”

Agrarian Development Holdings was given permission in June 2023 to build a warehouse and office complex on a nearby site.

Part of the project would include lowering the road under the bridge.

Hinckley and Bosworth’s planning committee approved the scheme, and said while it could solve the bridge strike issue – it warned it would create long-term traffic problems.

A spokesperson for National Highways told the BBC that plans to lower the road are being undertaken by the developer, but could not confirm a timeframe for the work.

They said: “We are currently working with them to achieve technical assurance and once agreed, the works can be undertaken.

“We are working collaboratively and at pace with the developer to achieve this status.

“Unfortunately, there are a number of complexities which have to be approved.”

Mr Bill said he was concerned that if the road was lowered, there would be flooding issues and questioned if there was a fall-back plan if the lowering did not go ahead.

He added: “Everybody else seems to have stopped looking at solutions, and are banking everything on dropping the road a few feet.”