A bus hadโฃ its โฃroof โripped offโค after colliding with โa low bridge in Littleborough, Greater Manchester, on Friday afternoon. Emergency services responded toโ the incident on Halifaxโ Road shortly after 2:30 PM, โฃand multiple passengersโข sustained injuries, though none are believed to be life-threatening.
The โcollision involved a stagecoach bus traveling towards Rochdale. While the exact cause isโข under inquiry, the bridge has a documentedโ history โคof being struck by vehicles due โฃto its low clearance. This incident highlights ongoing concerns about road safety and signage in the area, and prompts questions about preventative measures to avoid โขfuture collisions.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed officers were on scene managing traffic and assisting emergency services. Northโค west Ambulance Service treated several passengers at the scene for minor injuries, including cuts โฃand bruises.โ
A spokesperson forโข Stagecoach said, “We can confirm one of our โbusesโ wasโข involved inโข an incident in Littleborough earlier today.โ Our immediate priority is โคthe safety and wellbeing of our โขpassengers andโฃ driver.We are fully assisting โthe police with their investigation and will be carrying out our own investigation to determine โthe circumstances.”
Halifaxโฃ Road was โขclosed in both directions following the incident, โcausing meaningful disruption to traffic. Authorities have since reopened one lane,but delays โare expected to continue as recovery effortsโฃ proceed.
This is not the first time โฃthis particular bridge has been hit. in recent years,thereโ have been numerous reports ofโ vehicles striking the bridge,leading to calls โฃfor improvedโฃ warning systems and potential infrastructure adjustments. Local residents have long voiced concerns about โthe riskโ posed by the low bridge, particularly to larger vehicles unfamiliar withโ the area.
