Three bridges within a mile hit SIXTY-TWO times by curse of satnav

And last night, it was revealed the curse of satnav has found yet another way to wreak havoc on Britain's roads - by funnelling tall vehicles under low bridges.

The problem came to light after rail chiefs realised that three of the railway bridges most often hit by traffic lay in a one-mile radius in the same town: Grantham in Lincolnshire. Between them, they were struck an astonishing 62 times last year.

Half involved one of the structures, earning it the dubious distinction of being Britain's most crashed-into railway bridge.

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But the problem is not limited to Grantham. Network Rail said the number of such collisions nationally has risen from 885 a year a decade ago to 1,340 today - causing £15million of damage a year and wasting 5,000 hours of train passengers' time.

A spokesman said: "It's a rising problem and satnavs are playing a greater role. They are great tools but they are no substitute for common sense and following the rules of the road."

An AA spokesman added: "The fact that you're getting bridges with a reputation for being hit suggests that satnav software is directing large numbers of vehicles to take those particular routes.

"The problem is 'blind reliance'. If people were using a map they would be more likely to question whether a bridge was high enough for their vehicle but it's staggering to what extent people are blindly relying on technology."

Freight Transport Association director Geoff Dossetter agreed: "Satnavs are wonderful for drivers in unfamiliar territory but if a road sign says 'low bridge ahead' there really shouldn't be any doubt about what that means.

"Foreign drivers are particularly bad in their blind adherence to satnav and need to improve their behaviour."

Inspector Damon Solley of Lincolnshire Police said his officers were annoyed at the number of call-outs to the railway bridges in Grantham, which is on the East Coast mainline linking London with Edinburgh.

He said: "It's ridiculous. It causes huge disruption whenever it happens, which is pretty much every week.

"Every time a lorry gets stuck my officers must close the road and help get it out, paralysing traffic. Drivers aren't paying attention to height restrictions and many are foreign, which is a factor."

The biggest blackspot is the bridge in Springfield Road, which was hit 31 times last year. The bridge at nearby Harlaxton Road recorded 16 hits last year, followed by Barrowby Road with 15. Only last Tuesday, a lorry and trailer carrying a skip truck crashed into it.

Network Rail is testing a scheme in Swindon that may combat the problem. It uses laser sensors to detect the height of vehicles and lights up a message on a road sign if they are on a collision course.

Discussions are also under way with the Highways Agency to map out the country's low bridges, so they can be included in satnav software.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "Whenever a bridge is hit we have to send out mobile units to assess the damage. Sometimes it's cosmetic, sometimes it's more serious, like damage to the track. But we have to check everything before we can allow trains to run again and often must impose speed restrictions."