Driver's insurer to cover £50k bridge repair costs

The driver had ignored signs saying the bridge was shut before crashing into the weakest part of the structure

Nearly £50,000 in costs to repair a bridge destroyed in a car crash will be recovered from the driver's insurance company.

The unnamed driver was taken to hospital for an ankle injury after hitting the flood-damaged Newerne Street Bridge, in the centre of Lydney, Gloucestershire, in December.

The driver had ignored road closure signs put in place days earlier to protect the fragile bridge, causing "significant damage" when they hit the weakest part of it.

By January, however, the bridge had been partly reopened after repairs. In June, it reopened fully, with repair work completed.

The driver was taken to hospital for an ankle injury following the crash

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the bridge was damaged during Storm Bert, which wreaked havoc on Lydney in November.

Fifty-two properties and 32 businesses were flooded, and the damage took months to repair.

The driver's vehicle reportedly hit the part of the bridge that had "water pouring through" it during the floods.

Repair works have now been completed following the damage

A report presented to Forest of Dean District Council last month stated that most of the £50,000 repair costs will be recovered from the driver's insurer.

The report was commissioned after councillors raised concerns over the authority's emergency response to the floods.

At a meeting on 17 July, officers said response plans have since been reviewed, and a new emergency response team and liaison roles have been established.