WILTSHIRE has been named the worst county in the south west for bridge strikes.

In the last six months, there have been 14 rail bridge strikes across the county – more than any other area along the Great Western line between London and Cornwall.

The strikes have contributed to a £23m cost to taxpayers and lengthy delays for commuters.

Network Rail, whose officers are called out to assess the damage to rail bridges each time they are struck, has launched a new campaign aimed at lorry drivers and HGV firms.

The Government-owned company is working with lorry groups on the campaign – called Bridge Bash.

Network Rail workers are also fitting steel beams on frequently-hit bridges to try and reduce the impact from lorry strikes. The firm also wants drivers who do hit bridges to face stronger penalties.

Kevin Laidlaw, a senior asset engineer for Network Rail, said: “Bridge strikes are a huge burden on the rail and road systems, as well as on the taxpayer, so we are working with key influencers in the industry to reduce the number of these easily-avoidable incidents.

“Wiltshire has had more bridge strikes so far this year than any other county on the Western route, causing inconvenience to thousands of people travelling in the region and beyond.

“We need HGV drivers travelling through Wiltshire and their employers to get on board with our initiative and make bridge strikes a thing of the past.”

Chrys Rampley, of trade body the Road Haulage Association, called the campaign a positive move.

“We’ve been working very closely with Network Rail and trying to educate our drivers, in particular on the whole issue that bridge strikes are avoidable,” she said.

“We’re pushing to make sure drivers do check their vehicle’s height and don’t chance it.”

Network Rail named the Malmesbury Road underbridge in Hullavington, near Chippenham, as the most-hit bridge. Since April, it has been struck on five separate occasions.

Closer to home, the Adver reported last week on yet another accident at the Wootton Bassett Road rail bridge.

On Wednesday, a DPD lorry shaved off its roof when it attempted to drive beneath the bridge.

It brought the number of lorries that have struck the bridge, got stuck beneath it or otherwise been damaged by it to at least 13 since 2010.

They include a truck carrying Ready Brek porridge, which sowed its oats across the road in September 2010.

Nine years before, police spent nearly five hours guarding a mountain of beer that fell off a lorry jammed beneath the bridge on its way to Iceland’s distribution centre.

Jim Robbins, ward councillor for Mannington and Western and Labour’s transport spokesman, suggested that the signage should be reviewed.

“It is clear that the current signage isn’t working as lorries keep getting stuck,” he said.

“The town only has a handful of places to cross the railway and as soon as one is blocked, the others struggle to cope.

“We need to immediately review the signage in the short term and in the long-term build more crossings to relive the pressure.”