Andover crash: Bus driver fined after roof torn off in bridge strike

A double-decker bus driver has been fined £80 after he struck a low bridge, ripping off the roof.

The vehicle hit the bridge in Charlton Road, Andover, Hampshire, on 12 November 2019, leaving the roof on the road behind it. No-one was injured.

Andrew McAuley, 58, of Holmsley Close, Southampton, previously pleaded guilty at Aldershot Magistrates' Court to careless driving.

Five penalty points were added to his licence.

A witness, who did not want to be named, previously said she was walking with her 10-year-old daughter at about 09:45 GMT when she heard an "almighty bang" on the road behind her.

She said: "We jumped and turned around. The bus just kept going quite fast like nothing had happened. Things were falling off it."

The witness said the bus came to a stop about 150m (490ft) down the road.

Bus operator Wheelers Travel previously said the vehicle was out of service at the time.

In 2008, a double-decker bus had its top ripped off when it hit the same 3.5m (11ft 9in) bridge under the A343. Again, no-one was injured.

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