A BUSINESS owner has questioned what more can be done to stop HGVs colliding with a Wrexham railway bridge and creating traffic chaos in the surrounding area.
The Leader reported on Tuesday morning how a lorry collided with the bridge near the Hollybush Pub in Cefn-y-Bedd, spilling tyres and causing congestion.
Helen Conway, who runs nearby Bodywork-Pilates Ltd, described the impact such incidents have on those who live and work there - as well as commuters.
The 54-year-old, from Gwersyllt, said: "I have to go under that bridge every day as part of my route.
"I didn't see the incident but I had been out for a walk and must have come through a few minutes after it happened.
"The police weren't there yet and the road was pretty clear.
"The lorry had pulled over to the pavement and the cab was ok but the back was a bit crumpled.
"It had lost some of its load of tyres but they had already been pulled off the road and onto the pavement.
"It was getting busy as I came away because there will have been recovery of the lorry and the tyres."
The collision is the second such incident in six weeks, after a HGV carrying skips got stuck under the bridge at the end of March.
READ MORE: As it happened - HGV struck Cefn-y-Bedd bridge
Speaking of what can be done to prevent it from re-occurring, Mrs Conway said: "It's clearly signposted, and I am assuming drivers of higher vehicles are trained to look for that.
"Other than making the bridge higher so people don't need to read the sign, I don't know what can be done.
"Thankfully this is something that doesn't happen every day - but when it does, it has an impact.
"It impacts the people living here and for us it makes it almost impossible to get into our business, people don't leave a gap in front of our gate, which means we're partially blocking the road waiting to turn in."
Mrs Conway said her business is less affected by these types of incidents now, due to more of her activities moving online.
READ MORE: Lorry carrying skips gets stuck under Wrexham Road railway bridge
But pre-pandemic, bridge collisions and the subsequent traffic congestion did pose a problem.
North Wales Police said: "Shortly before 7.30am today (10 May) we received reports of a collision on the A541 in Cefn y Bedd.
"The incident involved a HGV, which had collided with a railway bridge.
"Officers attended to assist at the location and a temporary road closure was enforced.
"Network Rail officers were also notified of the incident to assess the bridge for potential structural damage.
"No injuries were reported."
Transport for Wales confirmed there was also a delay to rail services as a result of the collision.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here