Caravan gets stuck under Cambridgeshire railway bridge

Caravan stuck under Stonea railway bridge Credit: John Elworthy

A railway bridge in Cambridgeshire, which has been named as one of the most "bashed" in the UK, has been hit again.

A caravan was lodged under the bridge at Stonea in the Fens on Saturday.

The bridge is among the most "bashed" in the UK, with regular reports of vehicles becoming stuck underneath it.

The caravan was stuck under the bridge on Saturday (23rd Oct) Credit: John Elworthy

In November last year, Network Rail revealed the 20 most struck bridges across the country and almost half of the top ten are in the Anglia region.

The railway bridge at Ely suffered 19 strikes and came in at number four on the list, which is an improvement since 2018 when it was named Britain’s most bashed bridge. Abbey Farm in Thetford, Norfolk, came in at number five with 16 strikes. The bridge at Stonea was collided with 13 times from 2019 to 2020.

Speaking in November 2020, Network Rail said: “There is no excuse to not know the height of your vehicle before starting your journey. As well as putting lives in danger on both road and rail and causing lengthy delays for passengers and road users, drivers who chance it at bridges are at risk of leaving their employers with a hefty bill for repairs and train delay costs, along with a strong threat to their own operator licence.”

Police worked to remove the caravan Credit: John Elworthy

The collision comes months after MP for North East Cambridgeshire Steve Barclay suggested that more needs to be done to improve signs highlighting the height restriction.

In June he said: "Local residents know the bridge has been struck repeatedly over many years and recently the road was closed for more than a year. We desperately need a permanent solution otherwise accidents will continue to happen."