Warwickshire Avon closed at Eckington

[nicknorman]

Could spoil someone’s trip…

 

https://mailchi.mp/ab97fb92ac15/navigation-restriction

[Sea Dog]

Friends are delayed at Eckington (on the Avon) by this incident. Understand there's still a car in the river as well as the bridge needing to be assessed for safety before navigation can continue. 

[Midnight]

35 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Could spoil someone’s trip…

 

https://mailchi.mp/ab97fb92ac15/navigation-restriction

Could spoil our trip 3 days upstream but wouldnt be the end of the world if we have to turn back. 

[alias]

32 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Friends are delayed at Eckington (on the Avon) by this incident. Understand there's still a car in the river as well as the bridge needing to be assessed for safety before navigation can continue. 

 

Picture here. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-62687340

[nicknorman]

Unfortunately at least one of the car occupants died. Seems odd because there are traffic lights on that bridge, nothing should be coming the other way. Maybe someone jumped the lights.

[matty40s]

Nowhere near the navigation channel so hopefully might reopen for boats 

[nicknorman]

I think the concern is about bridge damage. Can’t be too careful and all that. Safety is our number one priority (when it suits us). But then again, boats stuck waiting to go under the “potentially dangerous” bridge will probably be abducted by aliens or eaten by crocodiles. Sometimes you just can’t win

[Stroudwater1]

Sadly  as its a death it will probably stay shut for a while as happens with roads .

 

 Reported to have happened at 4.45am, so maybe someone was  asleep or under some influence. The road goes down fast on a straight both sides especially towards Eckington and its easy to be tempted to go for it  especially when the lights weren't installed 30 years ago or more. 

 

Its one of the nicest bridges over navigations in the Midlands IMHO. 

[cornishdave]

ANT now reporting navigation is open, princess with care.

Possible debris in river

[cornishdave]

Proceed, not princess 🙄

[Heartland]

It was a BMW and Astra that collided on the bridge and the result was that the BMW ended up in the River at 4 am. One man died. Another was arrested for dangerous driving.

 

 

 

It will be of interest to see what the investigations by the police reveal. 

For a vehicle to crash through a parapet might suggest travelling at speed. 

 

Edited August 29, 2022 by Heartland

[Stroudwater1]

It’s a very long straight down a steepish  hill down to the river towards Eckington,  and similarly downhill on a curve the other way.
Not that I would know (girlfriend at the time lived just beyond Eckington from me) but even in a Morris 1100 as a youth you can apparently get well over 60 coming down the hill. There is time to slow or stop but guess someone risked that no one was coming carried on over and the lights  wouldn’t change but they very sadly did 😢

[Midnight]

We are at Eckington tonight and it's a sobering thought, looking at the hole in the bridge, that some boaters may have been here on that fateful night.