A man has been charged by police after a supermarket lorry smashed into a Perth railway bridge.
The accident happened at Dunkeld Road on Saturday evening. The Tesco-branded vehicle struck the crossing near the BP garage and toppled onto its side.
Emergency services were called to the scene just before 8pm and the lorry driver was taken to hospital for a check up, although he is not thought to have been badly hurt.
A large section of road, between Auld Bond Road and Bute Drive, was closed down by police for several hours while efforts were made to remove the stricken HGV and clear the carriageway.
Engineers were also called to assess the bridge to ensure it was safe to reopen.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Police in Tayside were called to the A912 Dunkeld Road, near the junction with Auld Bond Road, in Perth around 7.50pm on Saturday, following a report a large goods vehicle had crashed into a railway bridge.
“The ambulance and fire services also attended and the driver was taken to hospital as a precaution. The road was closed for eight hours to allow for assessment of the bridge and vehicle recovery.”
She said: “The 53-year-old male driver was charged in connection with this and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”
Motorists were advised to avoid the Dunkeld Road area and use alternative routes through residential areas.
The road, known as Perth’s Motor Mile because of its high number of car showrooms and garages, is one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares.
The bridge’s height of 4.5 metres is signposted on either side. It was struck by a tractor towing a crane six months ago, blocking traffic in both directions.
Last year, Perth scored highly in a list of the country’s most bashed railway bridges. The study found the city’s railway crossing in Tay Street had been struck nearly 20 times in the last five years, causing nearly a day’s worth of delays for rail passengers.
There have also been several high profile crashes at a bridge on the city’s King’s Place, including one incident where a car transporter came to grief, causing tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage to brand new Range Rovers and Jaguars.
