CAMERAS have been installed on an historic County Durham bridge following several incidents of vehicles hitting it.

The Abbey Bridge, near Barnard Castle, has been accidentally hit by a small number of vehicles over last few months.

The road which goes over the bridge is part of an advertised diversion route whenever the A1(M) or A66 are closed locally for roadworks.

Durham County Council, which manages and maintains the bridge, is now trialling the use of CCTV cameras at the site.

Provided by Highways England, the cameras will be in place whenever the bridge is being used as a diversion route to monitor traffic and ensure a prompt response to any future incidents.

John Reed, Durham County Council’s head of technical services, said: “We must stress that there has been only a handful of minor collisions and that these have all been accidental.

“We can confirm that the damage to the bridge has been superficial and that Abbey Bridge remains safe to use.

“The bridge is regularly inspected and any repairs required are undertaken as appropriate.”

Two cameras will be in operation – one at each end of the bridge and signage will be in place to advise motorists of their presence.

Highways England will monitor footage from the cameras with a view to capturing footage of any collisions which are subsequently not reported, giving the potential for the cost of any repairs to be recovered from the motorist.