It’s been tagged the ‘most bashed in Britain’ and the bridge outside Ely station has now claimed its latest victim.

Police were called last Thursday just after 6pm to deal with a van that had driven underneath the bridge, failed to spot the tell tale warning signs about height, and got stuck.

A spokesman for East Cambs police said they had become experts in removing vehicles from the bridge.

“After letting the tyres down, some serious jigging around and a good pull from the recovery truck, the vehicle was removed without damage to the bridge,” said the spokesman.

“The recovery took over two hours at a very busy time of day and as always we appreciate the patience of other road users while we deal with these types of incidents.”

The spokesman added: “We always urge drivers to ensure they are aware of any height or weight restrictions when driving large vehicles and to make sure they are paying full attention to any signage that may be advising them of such restrictions.”

Police received praise on their Facebook page for the clear up but on resident had a suggestion.

“Years back they had a simple solution to the problem,” he told police.

“It was a row of bells hanging on a wire if you hit them in the run in you knew and stopped.

“As soon as these were removed the problem began . So called upgrade measures have all proved useless. A return to the old stated method is all that’s needed.

“Put a barrier several feet back from the entrance - you hit it and stop. Common sense!”