A historic Aberdeenshire bridge has been shut for emergency repairs after yet another crash with a lorry.
Council bosses confirmed that an articulated vehicle was left “dangling” over the edge of the Spittal Burn crossing on the B974 Cairn O’Mount road yesterday morning.
It was just the latest crash to hit the bridge which was already weakened by a collision with another lorry last month.
Bridge engineers say the damage caused by both crashes means it is now unsafe to cross.
Emergency repairs are underway and are expected to last around four weeks.
A diversion is available via the A957 Slug Road between Stonehaven and Crathes.
Aberdeenshire Council structures manager, Donald MacPherson, said: “Sadly, this is not a rare occurrence on our network of historic bridges.
“We have a number which are regularly damaged by vehicles, leading to costly repairs, not all of which are recovered from insurers as the vehicles responsible are not always known.
“The need to close this route for such a significant time, clearly an inconvenience to locals and visitors to the area, highlights how important some of our bridges are for the connectivity of the area.
“The drivers of large and heavy vehicles should be aware of the potential for damage to our historic bridges and choose their routes accordingly.
“In recent months, we’ve been aware of large vehicles carrying loads such as static caravans and even a military tank over the Spittal Burn Bridge.”
