Hampshire council leader echoes call for bridge crashers to be fined

Cllr Nick Adams-King, who represents Romsey Rural on the county council and is also the Test Valley Borough Councillor for Blackwater, said that it “beggars belief” that heavy goods vehicles are still getting stuck under the bridge.

He told the Advertiser: “I very much hope the police consider prosecution over the blatant disregard of road signage.

The lorry under Greatbridge Road (Image: Chris Atkinson)

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“The disruption caused each time is substantial, and the time of day at which this incident occurred made things even worse, interfering as it did with both morning commute and school run for very many people. 

“Frankly, I am not sure there is much more that can be done to stop these accidents happening. There is no way to legislate for those who ignore the multiple warning signs.”

Cllr Adams-King’s comments come after a HGV overturned under the bridge in Greatbridge Road in the early hours of Tuesday, September 24, shutting the road until it could be safely removed at approximately 11.30am. This is the second time that a lorry has crashed into the bridge in four months, after another HGV got stuck on May 3. Lorries also often crash into the Sun Arch on Winchester Road.

Hampshire Constabulary said that the driver was unharmed in the crash, and that they have no plans to prosecute him.

Cllr Adams-King is echoing comments made by fellow county councillor Mark Cooper.

As previously reported, Cllr Cooper told the Advertiser that he was hoping that dangerous drivers would be prosecuted if they struck the bridge.

He said: “I think the bridge has been well marked out; there is a nice new colour scheme which is very noticeable, and the lorry driver who doesn’t realise that his lorry is too big for the bridge needs to be prosecuted for dangerous driving or driving without due care and attention.

“I don’t think we can do anything more to protect it.

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“I have, in the past, asked for chains to be put at the head of the bridge, but it would be so intrusive to have the posts and the chains hanging down that it would be hardly worth the effort. I do think the only thing that is going to work is significant fines for the drivers who don’t know the size of their own vehicle.”

“Whenever there is an accident, the police have to devote a significant number of resources to resolving the issue, so I would have thought it would be in their interest to prosecute drivers, and I’m surprised to hear that they don’t think it is within their interests to do it.

“But the police will decide what they do, the only way we can change that is if we ask the Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, to ensure that this type of dangerous driving is prosecuted.”