THE LATEST CRASH on a bridge is going to cost £80,000 to repair.
This crash on Dimmingsdale Bridge on the Staffs & Worcs Canal was caused by a vehicle and is the fifth in 14 years, it leaving the parapet of the bridge badly damaged, as can be seen in the trust's photograph.
Navigation closed
The amount of masonry in the canal below has meant that the navigation had to be closed until it was cleared out.
These repeated crashes have taken a serious toll on the bridge's original masonry, a spokesperson for the trust explained and the call is for drivers to slow down and take extra care when going over the region's canals, with Paul Ardill from the trust explaining:
"Each crash chipped away a piece of history and, in the latest case, had caused 'significant structural damage' which would take weeks to repair.
"Vehicle strikes cost us, a charity, over £1m per year with many incidents going unreported.
"On this occasion we do have the driver's details so we can claim some of our costs back from his insurance company but often our bridges are damaged in hit-and-run incidents, leaving us to pay the repair bill."
Bridge made safe
The road, canal and towpath are currently closed while debris is removed and the bridge made safe.
At one time there was a suggestion of mounting cameras on such bridges to get a vehicle's details and then be able to claim, as most are hit and run crashes.