A safety barrier has been damaged at a bridge at Preston Docks – meaning no boats or trains can run.
Navigation Way cannot be closed to traffic meaning the access between the Marina and the Docks is shut off for safety reasons.
An Archway operated Fylde Villager service hit the safety barrier – which passengers on the bus say came down ‘without warning’.
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No one was hurt in the incident which the bus firm say the driver was not to blame for.
Sam Archer of Archway Travel Ltd said: “One of our vehicle was crossing the Swing Bridge in Preston this afternoon (Sat 25th April). The vehicle entered the swing bridge in an easterly direction with no warning of the barrier dropping, whilst on the bridge the barriers have been triggered by the bridge operator.
“The entry barrier has come down behind the bus however the westbound carriageway entry barrier came down whilst the bus was exiting the bridge on the corner and due to the road positioning on the bridge to exit without clipping the kerb the front of the bus was over the white line and made contact with the barrier.
“This is totally out of the drivers control and personally we feel the barriers should not have been triggered until the bus was clear of the swing bridge.”
Preston City Council are responsible for maintaining the swing bridge.
Riversway and parking manager, Russell Rees, said: “Following a vehicle strike to one of the road barriers to the swing bridge approach, it is no longer safe to close Navigation Way to vehicular traffic in advance of swinging the bridge, to facilitate the movement of marine traffic between the main dock basin and the lock and vice versa.
“Repairs to the barrier will be undertaken with an estimate repair date of late on Monday 27 April.
“Until such time that the barrier is repaired, vessels entering Riversway from the river will only be able to proceed as far as the lock until further notice.”
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