Charity facing £80k repair bill after bridge crash

Repeated crashes have taken a serious toll on the bridge's original masonry, the Canal and River Trust said

Repairs costing £80,000 are going to be carried out on a canal bridge after it was hit by a vehicle.

The crash was the fifth in 14 years at the crossing near Dimmingsdale, Staffordshire, the Canal and River Trust said - and left a parapet on the bridge badly damaged.

The bridge is near Wolverhampton, on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, between Dimmingsdale Lock and Wightwick Lock.

The repeated crashes have taken a serious toll on the bridge's original masonry, a spokesperson for the charity said and they have called on drivers to slow down and take extra care when going over the region's canals.

Paul Ardill, from the trust, said each crash chipped away a piece of history and, in the latest case, had caused "significant structural damage" which would take weeks to repair.

The bridge is one of about 2,800 canal bridges maintained by the charity, most of which were built in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The charity urged all drivers to follow signs, cut their speed and take extra care when approaching humpbacked or narrow canal bridges.

"Vehicle strikes cost us, a charity, over £1m per year with many incidents going unreported," Mr Ardill added.

"On this occasion we do have the driver's details so we can claim some of our costs back from their insurance company but often our bridges are damaged in hit-and-run incidents, leaving us to pay the repair bill."

The road, canal and towpath are currently closed while debris is removed and the bridge made safe.