THE LANCASTER CANAL it is stated has had over the last two years the most vehicle crashes to its bridges.
The Canal & River Trust having to pay out over £5500,000 within that time.
Many of the bridges that cross the canal are also Grade 11 Listed.
Take more care
Thought the trust has appealed for motorists to take more care when driving on rural, narrow roads over the bridges on the Lancaster Canal, one of the bridges—the humpback Stone Chimney Bridge near Preston—has been hit by a vehicle 11 times in five years.
The most recent crash on that bridge happened just weeks after repairs had been completed and the bridge reopened following an earlier lorry strike.
Bill Froggatt, heritage advisor with the Canal and River Trust, explained:
"Humpback bridges such as these are an iconic part of Britain's canal network.
"This latest strike on Stone Chimney Bridge has caused significant structural damage to the masonry, which will once again require vital conservation and repair work.
"All these bridges are part of the canal's special character and heritage, and each time one is hit a small piece of history is lost."
Vulnerable
The Canal and River Trust looks after about 2,800 canal bridges in England and Wales, most narrow and built in the 18th and 19th centuries, way before the advent of modern vehicles, making them vulnerable to strikes by wide or speeding traffic.
The suggestion of cameras on bridges was mooted, but not acted upon, would surely save a great deal of money as claims can then be made from the owners, having recorded their licence plates.