Travel disruption as bridge collapse blocks trains

A railway bridge has partially collapsed after being hit by a vehicle, leading to major disruption on trains through Warwickshire until at least 17:00 BST on Friday.

The incident took place on Thursday, on Marston Lane in Whitestone, Nuneaton, causing the road to be closed between Forders Lane and Nuneaton Road, according to travel firm Inrix.

Network Rail said all lines were blocked and trains would be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or diverted via Birmingham.

"Our teams are working to assess the damage to the bridge and keep passengers moving," it added.

In addition, services along the route may start or terminate from either side of Nuneaton or Rugby, and may not run their full journey.

Travellers were advised to check online journey planners before making their journeys.

Network Rail added that if passengers no longer wished to travel due to their train being delayed or cancelled, they could request a full refund from where they bought their tickets.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service said its crews were called at about 15:30 BST on Thursday to reports of a lorry hitting a railway bridge on Marston Lane.

There were no reports of any injuries, they said, and no other vehicles were involved in the incident.

They said fire crews remained on scene while structural engineers carried out an assessment of the structure.

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