Ely railway bridge crash: van rips off roof

A lorry has crashed into a low railway bridge in Ely, which is notorious for accidents, ripping off its roof.

The bridge on Stuntney Road is officially the fourth most crashed into in the country, according to Network Rail.

The latest incident happened this morning (Friday 28 January) at 8.47am when the van's roof and two sides were ripped off after the driver attempted to pass under the bridge, which has a height restriction of 8ft 10in (2.7m).

Cambridgeshire police confirmed that the driver was "not injured" and that the damage to the bridge was "cosmetic rather than structural".

A police spokesperson added there was "no arrest, the driver was reported for driving without due care and attention."

The road was closed while the debris was cleared away but was reopened by 9.29am.

There are large height restriction warning signs on the bridge and several others on the approach on Stuntney Road, but last year Network Rail reveled the bridge had been struck 15 time between 2020 and 2021 and that it was the fourth most hit railway bridge in the country.

The Coddenham Road bridge on the B1078 has the title of the most bashed bridge in Britain. Located in Needham Market, Suffolk, the bridge was struck 19 times last year. The other “big hitters” on the list in the Anglia region include Ipswich Road bridge in Mannningtree (eighth place) and Abbey Farm in Thetford (20th place).