A tractor had its roof torn clean off after becoming wedged under a notorious low railway bridge in Ely, Cambridgeshire, that has a long history of destroying vehicles that ignore its height warnings.
The incident happened at around 5:45pm on Monday when a John Deere tractor tried to pass under the bridge on Bridge Road and got stuck. The impact ripped apart the roof and scattered shattered glass across the road. No one was hurt and Greater Anglia confirmed trains continued running without any disruption.
Network Rail previously named this bridge the most-struck railway structure in Britain after recording 18 collisions in the 2023-24 period. By the following year it had slipped to third on that list with 15 strikes. A bridge in Hinckley, Leicestershire topped the 2024-25 rankings with 22 hits while one in Grantham, Lincolnshire came second with 18.
Despite clear warning signs on both approaches to the bridge the same story plays out repeatedly. Drivers either miss the signs or misjudge their vehicle's height. A level crossing sits right next to the bridge offering a perfectly usable alternative route but many drivers skip it entirely.
Over the years the bridge has swallowed vans, lorries and now a tractor whole. Old photographs from the site show vehicles with roofs completely stripped away wedged tight under the low arch while trains pass overhead as if nothing happened below.
Height restriction signs are fixed on both sides of the bridge approach. The warnings are large and clear. Yet the strikes keep coming year after year which is part of why this bridge carries such a notorious reputation across the country.
Network Rail tracks bridge strikes nationally each year and publishes the results. The data shows the problem is widespread across Britain with dozens of bridges hit multiple times every single year causing damage to vehicles, infrastructure and causing rail delays.
