A LONDON road has been left in chaos after a truck fell victim to an infamous low “vancatcher” bridge, having its top ripped completely off.
The incident happened on Mantle Road in Brockley, South East London yesterday morning and saw the truck hit a low-slung rail bridge.
The bridge, which has claimed countless victims over the years, is famous for catching drivers out, leading to authorities adding a “low bridge” sign in huge letters in December last year (2023).
Giving a measly 2.5m clearance, the bridge’s latest casualty had the rear box of the vehicle completely destroyed, scattering debris across the busy road.
Images of the accident show the destruction that the bridge has wrought, with the cab of the truck having made it through, but the box section not proving quite as lucky.
The cab looks to have rolled to a stop on the other side of the bridge, whilst the box has gotten caught on the structure and been torn off, leaving it lying behind on the road.
Debris from the truck is strewn across the road and the box looks damaged beyond repair as it is left wedged under the bridge, completely blocking the road for other users.
Furniture and household items can be seen in the photos tumbling out of the storage area of the HGV onto the road.
Hilariously, the danger the bridge poses is made clear for any dopey drivers, given the large yellow sign emblazoned on the metalwork reading: “Low bridge.”
The bridge also boasts a long yellow and black hazard strip to warn motorists of the low clearance – but the truck’s driver doesn’t appear to have taken any notice.
Images of the chaos were shared to social media yesterday with the caption: “Absolute scenes in Brockley this morning.”
The post received over 490 likes and more than 80 comments from users who were left stunned at the driver’s inability to spot the blatant warning signs.
One user said: “Did he manage to drive completely through the bridge before realising it had completely torn the rear superstructure free?”
Another added: “I got stuck under there in a Luton van coming from the other direction. Just stuck though. Didn’t rip the top off because I was going slowly.”
A third sarcastically said: “I wish they’d put signs saying that it’s a low bridge. Then this could’ve all been avoided.”
Another commented: “That’s the infamous vancatcher. There’s even a dedicated Facebook page to it chronicling every victim.”
