Skip crash causes road and rail delays

Trains were delayed and rush-hour traffic came to a standstill in Oldbury today after a lorry smashed into a railway bridge and its skip was flung into a bus.

The drama unfolded in Bromford Road, close to Sandwell and Dudley railway station, at 8.40am.

Eyewitnesses said a piece of metal was thrown from the skip and smashed windows on the bus.

Police cordoned off Bromford Road at both ends and trains running between Wolverhampton and Birmingham were delayed for around 20 minutes while the damage to the bridge was assessed.

Eyewitness Councillor Mahboob Hussain, who lives on nearby McKean Road, said: "The lorry carrying the skip was heading towards West Bromwich and the bus heading towards Oldbury. There was a huge bang and when I came out of the house I could see the lorry had hit the bridge and a yellow skip had come off the back.

"It was extremely fortunate that no one was hurt, this is a very busy road and at that time of the morning there are a lot of people going to and from the station."

Network Rail said the trains were stopped at 8.40am resumed at 9am and there was only minor damage to the bridge.

The skip belonged to Willenhall recycling and metal firm WH Marren Ltd.

Company director Peter Hackett said: "The driver is safe, but shaken."

Council worker David Lawley was caught up in today's chaos.

"The journey from my house in Tividale to Sandwell Council House is about a mile," he said. "It usually takes just a few minutes, but today it took at least half an hour.

"Traffic was building up along Dudley Road East and Temple Way and right through Oldbury about a mile in each direction."