Watch the moment bridge hit at least 45 times is driven into again

A railway bridge considered the "most bashed" in Wales, having been struck almost 50 times, has been hit again.

In 2020 Network Rail said Trafle Mill bridge in Gowerton, Swansea, had been hit 33 times in the preceding decade, the most of any bridge in Wales and the border areas. There have been 12 reported strikes since 2023.

Despite sensors being installed to alert drivers of the height restrictions, CCTV footage shows a utilities lorry with wooden poles and a crane arm colliding with the bridge on 25 October.

Swansea council said it was disappointing and the warning system was functioning normally. It urged delivery companies to remind drivers of the restrictions.

In the footage, the lorry appears to slow just as it approaches but the crane arm smacks into the underside of the 11ft (3.3m) bridge, causing a loud bang.

According to residents the driver reversed onto nearby Fairwood Terrace and then headed back on Victoria Road in the opposite direction.

Video footage from Victoria Road resident Mark Needs has shown a number of lorries and other vehicles getting into difficulty over the years, despite warning signs alerting drivers to its presence.

"The worst one was when a van with a cherry picker got stuck under it, it took four to five hours to get it out," he said. "Another time a lorry coming down the hill hit the bridge, then a car and a telegraph pole."

Needs said there were sensors on poles set some way back on either side of the bridge. He said they activated flashing signs close by the bridge when vehicles of a certain height drove past.

The flashing sign on the Fairwood Terrace side of the bridge did not appear to flash when the lorry approached on 25 October, but Swansea Council said the sensor system was functioning correctly.

Needs said there had been some interesting collisions, including a lorry transporting potatoes that got stuck.

"Everybody had free potatoes that day," he said.

Network Rail said staff carried out precautionary safety inspections following the latest incident but identified no damage.

Network Rail said: "Alongside collision protection beams, which have been in place since 2014 to protect the main railway structure from vehicle impacts and reduce the risk of damage, the bridge is also clearly marked with low-headroom warning signs, with additional advance and illuminated LED signage on the approaches to alert drivers before they reach the structure.

"We continue to work closely with Swansea Council to improve highway signage, and make sure these warning systems remain operational and effective."

Gowerton councillor Susan Jones said: "Obviously that bridge is a problem. When they extended the railway station it was strengthened - if they hadn't, I dread to think."