Midland Metro bridge crashes in pictures

Could this bridge on the border of Bilston and Tipton have been the scene of more crashes than any other in the country?

In the past six years alone, more than 20 lorries have crashed into the notorious Midland Metro bridge – despite flashing signs warning drivers of its height.

Click on the image to the right for more photos

The 13ft high structure in Great Bridge Road has long been an accident blackspot due to its height and scores of heavy goods vehicles have been left in a crumpled mess in their attempts to pass under it.

The latest smash on Monday saw a lorry crash into the bridge, spilling its load of thousands of cereal boxes across the road.

It comes 12 months after £52,000 was spent on a hi-tech warning system to alert drivers to the bridge. Great Bridge councillor Derek Rowley today said everything had been done to try to eradicate the problems along the stretch.

Scores of heavy goods vehicles have either crashed into the bridge or become wedged under the structure in recent years, blocking the road and also causing delays to the tram that passes overhead.

The accidents cause chaos for motorists as the busy Great Bridge Road is a link connecting Tipton with Bilston.

In October 2004 a lorry toppled over after smashing into the bridge.

Twelve months later another wagon got wedged under the structure, the first of three crashes. Three days later yet another heavy goods vehicle met the same fate, toppling over after hitting the bridge and delaying the Lord Mayor of Birmingham on his way to a meeting using the tram.

In December 2005 a lorry carrying a delivery of toilet rolls tipped over after smashing into the bridge and in August 2006 a UK Pallets lorry was crushed after a smash and blocked the road for around five hours.

Two years later in April 2008 a lorry that hit the bridge was left in a crumpled mess, leaving its cargo of cardboard boxes strewn across the road, to the anger of local residents.

Trams travelling between Wolverhampton and Birmingham crossing overhead were also cancelled for half an hour. Parts of the bridge on Great Bridge Road, Tipton, fell into the street below after the crash.

In March 2009 the driver of a Stalker's Transport Services Limited vehicle crashed.

It was thought he had been following his sat nav and misjudged the height of the bridge. In April 2009, a lorry carrying a load of food became wedged under the bridge, and the driver's cab toppled over. Just days later an Express Freight Solutions lorry lay twisted in the road after a similar incident.

Councillor Rowley said some lorry drivers were "clearly ignoring the warning signs". He said: "I was not aware of the crash on Monday but I'm well aware of the bridge in question. It has been a problem for a number of years.

"Last year we installed expensive warning signs telling drivers not to go under the bridge. Some drivers are clearly ignoring these signs. This latest crash is the first one I'm aware of since the flashing signs were installed. I don't know what else we can do."

Councillor Stephen Simkins said residents in his Bilston East ward had suffered terribly over the years, with streets regularly backed up with traffic from accidents on Great Bridge Road. "Every time the bridge gets blocked they really suffer," he said. "It is chaos and people's lives are made a misery – the trouble they have is unbelievable. Residents are regularly in touch with me about this and all I can stress on behalf of them is that it's an absolute nightmare."

Centro spokesman Peter Cameron said a Height Detection Warning System installed at the bridge on Great Bridge Road last year had been "extremely successful" in reducing the number of collisions.

"This was the first collision we have had in more than a year since the flashing lights system, which warns drivers their vehicle is too tall, was installed. This compares to 19 collisions during the previous five years," he said. "We are currently awaiting information from police as to why this collision happened."

By Laura Blyth