Lorry hit four bridges in two hours

It was crash, bang, wallop and smash when a lorry hit four bridges in two hours. The accidents caused delays on trains and major disruption on one of the busiest roads out of London. All three southbound lanes of the A3 near Hook were blocked for three-and-a-half hours on Wednesday, August 17, causing massive tailbacks.

The sequence of blunders began when a digger on the back of the lorry got wedged under a railway bridge in Brighton Road, Surbiton. Police officers helped the driver reverse and sent him on his way after the incident at 9.30am, which caused 40-minute delays for trains to and from Waterloo.



But two hours later the driver came to grief again when the digger hit the bottom of three bridges in quick succession at the underpass of the Ace of Spades roundabout at 11.20am. Concrete fell into traffic as the machinery smacked into the bridges. Police later grilled the embarrassed driver but no action was taken.

Shannon, the company the driver was working for, could now face a hefty bill to repair the bridges. The pedestrian crossing bridge may have to be replaced completely after the impacts which buckled part of the bridge.