Calls for action to prevent A63 bridge strikes

Calls have been made for more to be done to prevent bridge strikes, which have led to severe delays on the A63 in East Yorkshire.

The third incident in as many years at Dale Road bridge in Elloughton happened on Monday, with evening rush-hour commuters inconvenienced.

Goole and Pocklington MP Sir David Davis said the situation had become "entirely intolerable", while local councillor Richard Meredith asked officials if a sensor-driven warning system could be installed.

A National Highways spokesperson said it was reviewing incidents at the bridge to see whether any preventative measures were needed.

Meredith said: "The knock-on effect is massive. It sends all the vehicles through the local villages, with roads not designed to cope, and past a primary school in Brough.

"There shouldn't be tens of thousands of cars going past a primary school."

The latest incident happened at about 15:00 BST on Monday.

The bridge was previously closed for repairs in 2023 after a lorry carrying a forklift truck crashed into it, causing damage that took two years to repair.

In May, another lorry carrying a digger hit it and another bridge, also on the A63.

In the letter to National Highways, Davis said each strike of the bridge posed "a severe, escalating risk to public safety" and "substantial frustration and disruption".

He requested the body urgently looks at the issue and asked what solutions had been considered to prevent future strikes.

The A63 is a primary route to and from Hull for drivers, the letter added.

Following the strike on Monday, Meredith described the situation as "hugely frustrating".

"There is an industrial estate at Melton and this is the first low bridge," he said.

"It's not low by legal terms, it's just low if you've got an abnormal load. So if someone's going to hit a bridge it is going to be this one."

He added: "It shouldn't ever have happened and shouldn't be allowed to happen again."

Meredith called for a sensor to be installed before the Welton junction on the A63 that would trigger a warning to lorry drivers.

He also suggested putting a chain over the road on Monks Way East.

Humberside Police appealed for anyone who witnessed the latest strike to contact officers.

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