PASSENGERS have suffered delays after a bin wagon struck a railway bridge just south of Durham.

Network Rail said the incident happened just before 1pm when the lorry hit the bridge in the Langley Moor area, dislodging some of the masonry.

East Coast Mainline trains were forced to run at a reduced speed for a period while engineers carried out an inspection of the bridge to ensure it was safe.

One passenger on a southbound train from Edinburgh said: “We’ve been going very slowly and the explanation given is that a vehicle has hit a rail bridge.”

Trains were able to return to normal speed about half an hour later, Network Rail said, while the wagon was now clear of the bridge.

A spokesman said there would be residual delays for train passengers from speeds being cut, but it was hoped things would be back to normal for the evening rush hour.

Last month Network Rail launched a new campaign in a bid to stop lorry drivers and high sided vehicles striking railway bridges and causing needless disruption to rail and road users.

There about 2,000 bridge strikes every year on Britain’s railways, costing the taxpayer about £23m in damages and delays.

Sir Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail and a former driver of a double decker bus himself, said: “Size does matter when you’re a professional driver in a heavy vehicle. Not knowing the size of your vehicle or load could lead to a serious accident and the loss of your licence.

“Every incident creates potential delay for tens of thousands of passengers and potential costs for taxpayers, and this is happening multiple times a day.

“It’s only a matter of time before road or rail users are killed because of this carelessness. We need professional HGV drivers and their operator employers to get behind and support this campaign to eradicate bridge bashing, which reaches epidemic levels at this time of year.”