Plan could cut crashes at Britain's 'most bashed' bridge

Drivers regularly misjudge the 4.6m (15ft) bridge in Hinckley

A scheme which could reduce the number of crashes at a bridge once dubbed Britain's "most bashed" has been approved.

The low bridge on the A5, near Hinckley, Leicestershire, is frequently struck by lorries, halting traffic.

Developers want to build a warehouse and office complex nearby and say they will lower the road under the bridge as part of their project.

Councillors gave the go-ahead but have expressed concerns.

Hinckley and Bosworth's planning committee, which met on 6 June, acknowledged the scheme could solve the bridge strike issue but warned it would create long-term traffic problems.

James Moore, vice chair of the committee, said: "We know it's going to create a huge amount of traffic problems in the future. They're going to create 2,500 jobs on this site.

"Do you know what 2,500 cars look like?"

'Drivers need educating'

He added: "All those cars on that roundabout. All those HGVs serving these huge warehouses day and night including at rush hour."

Committee member Keith Lynch said: "The lowering of this infamous bridge is of course the cherry that's been put on the top of this cake to make us accept it."

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said it costs the economy up to £20m each time an HGV strikes the bridge and brings traffic to a halt.

John Holmes, planning consultant for the applicant Agrarian Development Holdings, said planned works to the bridge, and the nearby Dodwells roundabout, would lead to an "improved A5 performance".

Committee member Ted Hollick said warning signs leading to the bridge were large, clear, and easy to read adding: "Yet people still hit the bridge. It's the drivers that need educating, but I welcome anything that's done to eradicate this problem."

Parts of the site of development, at Padge Hall Farm, sit within Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and Rugby Borough Council which have both already approved the plan.