How could crashes at most bashed bridge be stopped?

There is a plan to stop lorries crashing into Britain's most bashed railway bridge - but it has temporarily hit the buffers.

The bridge crossing the A5 Watling Street has been struck by tall vehicles at least 33 times since March 2025, according to Network Rail.

The proposed solution to the problem, to lower the road under the bridge, was granted planning permission in 2023, but Network Rail has yet to sign off the scheme in detail.

Campaigners who have been pushing for measures to end the major disruption caused by the crashes say they have doubts the scheme will ever be approved.

The project remains under review, but if it does not make it off the drawing board, what other steps could be taken?

Gantries with chains suspended from them are used to warn lorry drivers of low bridges in other parts of the country.

Such structures have been deployed on the A619 on either side of the low Darfoulds bridge, near Worksop.

District councillor for the area, Tom Munro, said: "There was a call to lower the road under the bridge, and another to ramp up the railway line, but neither has happened because it would be really expensive and complicated.

"The chains are a simpler answer and a lot cheaper."

Sacrificial strike beams are steel or concrete barriers installed on the approaches to absorb the impact of a collision with an over-height vehicle.

The Watling Street bridge already has heavy-duty beams right next to it which take the brunt of crashes and protect the structure.

However, lighter-weight barriers could be placed further away from the bridge as a warning to truckers.

Crashes would occur some distance from the bridge, potentially reducing the time it takes to recover vehicles and reducing the need for structural inspections.

There are signs warning drivers about the Watling Street bridge but it is still being hit.

Geraint Davies, the UK director of the Road Haulage Association, warned signs could become obscured by foliage or moss.

He also said simple changes to the types of signs and signals could help.

"If you had a red traffic light-type signal, that is likely to trigger something in a driver because they are less likely to drive through that."

In 2025, Network Rail began a remote monitoring trial at Britain's second most struck bridge in Harlaxton Road, Grantham.

The aim was to speed up the process of checking the bridge was still safe to carry trains after strikes, while adding signs and signals to prevent accidents in the first place.

The organisation said cameras and impact-sensing technology capture data and video footage instantly after a collision, allowing engineers to assess the bridge remotely within seconds, reducing disruption for passengers.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: "The Harlaxton Road trial has provided valuable lessons about how detection technology can help support our response to bridge strikes.

"We're continuing to refine its operation, and lessons learned from the trial are helping to inform the design of potential future systems.

"Technology is only one part of our approach to bridge strikes, which includes working closely with industry partners to prevent incidents, with a team of bridge strike champions continuing to visit haulage companies to raise awareness and promote safer route planning."

Davies told the BBC there were numerous reasons lorry drivers misjudge low bridges, including fatigue and cognitive overload.

"Many bridge strikes come down to human factors," Davies said.

"You could have the most experienced driver, the most well-trained driver, but if that driver is having issues at home perhaps, is sleep deprived for whatever reason.

"They could have just spent all night in the services being kept awake by other activity there, so legally they are rested.

"But, actually, they are indeed not well rested because the infrastructure for parking and the safe places to park, suitable places to park that are fit for purpose for large goods vehicles, are really woeful in the UK.

"That can affect drivers and cause them to become fatigued.

"When a driver is fatigued, they may not necessarily make the best decisions, and that can give rise to bridge strikes.

"It comes back to one common thread that goes through all of this, and that is human factors.

"Trucks and coaches and buses, vehicles don't hit bridges. Drivers do."

Davies said the RHA offered a "toolbox" of training to drivers to help them improve their driving, including specific guidance on avoiding bridge strikes.

Specialist commercial vehicle satellite navigation systems are available on the market and take tall vehicles on routes away from low bridges.

However, Hinckley county councillor Ann Pendlebury said she feared the cost of them, up to £500, was pushing drivers to use standard free-to-use applications which are not as precise.

Pendlebury has started a petition calling on the government to make it mandatory for every HGV operating on UK roads to have a "vehicle dimension-aware" system.

"Drivers have to enter their vehicle's weight, height and width before a journey," Pendlebury said.

"Then it plots routes accordingly, keeping vehicles away from unsuitable roads.

"That would reduce strikes at Hinckley, but also at every low bridge in the country."

The petition will remain open until March and the government will respond to it, if 10,000 people sign it.

Davies told the BBC drivers should not be overly reliant on sat-nav systems.

"You're still the driver," he said.

"The captain is in charge of the ship. So it is up to the driver to plan accordingly.

"Some people don't use sat-nav as a guide. They use it as the be-all and end-all and blindly follow it."

A Network Rail spokesperson told the BBC this week: "Bridge strikes remain one of the biggest causes of disruption on Britain's railway and we understand local concerns about repeated incidents at the A5 bridge in Hinckley.

"As with any project affecting the operational railway, detailed designs and associated works information must be submitted and reviewed before the [road lowering] scheme can progress.

"We remain committed to supporting the development of this proposal.

"Network Rail continually reviews measures to help reduce bridge strikes, including new technologies and warning systems, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

"Drivers continue to play the most important role in preventing incidents by knowing the height of their vehicles, planning appropriate routes and following warning signs at low bridges.

"Bridge strikes continue to be a significant issue at this location.

"Every bridge strike must be investigated to ensure trains can continue to run safely, which is why preventing these incidents remains a priority for Network Rail."

Listen to BBC Radio Leicester on Sounds and follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.