ENGINEERS were last night preparing to examine a bridge over the A14 after it was damaged in a collision with a lorry.

Simon Tomlinson

ENGINEERS were last night preparing to examine a bridge over the A14 after it was damaged in a collision with a lorry.

Police were due to close part of the Ipswich-bound carriageway between junctions 49 and 50 near Stowmarket so a safety assessment could take place.

The collision happened at around 4pm yesterday when a slow-moving lorry carrying a wide piece of plywood was being escorted along the dual carriageway.

The wood fell onto the road, but the driver was able to clear up the debris without causing any serious traffic problems on the A14, a police spokesman said.

However the B1115, which runs over the bridge, was closed because of fears for the safety of the structure.

Inspector Jim Gooding, of Suffolk police, said the force was working closely with the Highways Agency.

He said: “Clearly there has been damage to the bridge and the engineers need to assess how bad it is. It will need some sort of repairing.”