An Offord man watched in horror as the driver of this lorry damaged the walls of an ancient bridge as he attempted to drive across it… and got stuck.

The bridge crosses the Great River Ouse and is a single lane that runs from Station Road in Offord to Mill Road in Buckden with width restriction notices in place at either end.

On the morning of March 26, Adrian Savage, 62, was walking his dogs near his home, at The Grove in Offord, when he noticed the lorry driver hit the sides of the bridge as he attempted to manoeuvre his vehicle round a sharp double bend.

“This is an ancient bridge built for the use of pedestrians, horses, horse-drawn carriages and handcarts – and latterly motor cars. It is unlikely that the structure of the bridge is capable of supporting the axle weight of this lorry, which is probably about 33 tons.

“The bridge is regularly used by lorries, coaches and delivery trucks, which is completely unreasonable and really isn’t doing the bridge any good as it is already in poor condition.”

Mr Savage approached the driver who shrugged and told him his Satellite Navigation system had sent him along the road. The driver, with the help of other motorists, was eventually able to reverse and edge forward several times and continue along the bridge.

Mr Savage said closer inspection of the bridge revealed some crumbling brick work and new cracks in the walls.

He has reported the incident to the police and also Cambridgeshire County Council.