Bus firm's response to crash after vehicle hits bridge

The bus operator First Bus has issued a statement about a crash in which a bus hit a low railway bridge this morning. The top of the bus was shorn off as it was driven under the bridge at Portchester railway station. Rail services were disrupted for some time after the incident. No-one was injured.

The statement from a First Hampshire and Dorset spokesperson is as follows:

"We can confirm that there has been an incident this morning whereby one of our vehicles has been in collision with Portchester Bridge.

"The exact circumstances of this morning’s collision are as yet unclear but they are being thoroughly investigated: the appropriate action will be taken as a result.

"Thankfully the vehicle was not in service at the time of the incident, so while the bus has been badly damaged there were no recorded injuries as a result of the collision."

In response to the fact that a similar incident happened in the same place last year the firm said:

"We are as concerned by this incident as we suspect other local people will be. The exact cause of it is being investigated and the appropriate action will be taken as a result. It is too early to speculate as to what the outcome of the investigation will be.

"In relation to the previous incident, the cause of that was determined to be human error and the appropriate action was taken as a result. As a company we take the safety of our staff, customers and other road users extremely seriously.

"As a company we take the safety of our staff, customers and other road users extremely seriously. Incidents such as this are rare and it is unusual for two similar incidents to happen in the same place. The cause of today’s collision is being thoroughly investigated."