Man charged after car crashed into historic Kendal bridge
Ben Whittaker due at Carlisle Crown Court over Nether Bridge crash
A man has been charged after a car crashed into a historic bridge in Kendal.
48-year-old Ben Whittaker, of Rocky Lane, Birmingham, has been charged with dangerous driving and failure to provide a specimen for analysis.
He is next due to appear at Carlisle Crown Court on 19th April 2027.
The charges relate to a crash in the early hours of 17th June, when a vehicle was driven the wrong way along Highgate and Kirkland before crashing into Nether Bridge, police said.
It happened at around 12:50am.
A man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of dangerous driving and failing to provide a roadside breath test.
The crash caused significant damage to the bridge's parapet wall, forcing it to close, and some of its stonework was knocked into the river below.
Westmorland and Furness Council has since confirmed the bridge has reopened to traffic following emergency repair work.
The footway remains closed, however, and safety barriers have been put up.
The council says permanent repairs could take a number of months because specialist heritage work is needed.
Heritage recovery work planned
A Westmorland and Furness Council spokesperson said Nether Bridge is a Scheduled Ancient Monument spanning the River Kent, with both Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation environmental designations.
"The next stage of works will be to recover what we can of the heritage stonework that has been knocked into the river in the accident, so that this can be reused in the repair where possible," the spokesperson said.
"This will require the necessary Habitat Regulations Assessment surveys and reports and permissions from Natural England before the specialist underwater contractor can go into the river," they said.