The low canal bridge that carries the Bridgewater Canal towards the aqueduct at Barton has seen many a mishap over the years with both buses and large lorries inadvertently smashing into it.
This story from the Eccles and Patricroft Journal from January 1965 illustrates this problem.
Eccles Magistartes Court heard that at 9.30am on 7 December 1964 the driver of a 22X North Western double-decker bus coming from Urmston, turned down Barton Lane with disasterous consequences as the top of the bus was completely ripped off, showering passengers with glass.
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The bus driver Robert Daniell told the court that he had been driving single-decker buses for 20 years, but on that fateful day had been told to take a double-decker from the Ciss Lane depot to Eccles.
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He had turned right down Barton Lane instead of going along Barton Road and before he realised his mistake he had crashed full speed into the 70-year-old, 11ft 6in bridge.
The height of the bus was almost two feet too high at 13ft 4in.
In his defence Daniell said he had not been told about the height restrictions at Barton and there were no warning signs in his cab.
Luckily there was only one passenger upstairs at the time, 17-year-old police cadet Michael Judge. He was the son of Mr T. Judge a well known butcher who had premises on Liverpool Road, Patricroft.
He told the Journal that he had been playing football with a police cadet team at Baguley and was returning home at the time of the crash.
He said: “I know that double decker buses are routed to avoid turning right into Barton Lane where the aqueduct crosses the roadway, as the bus made a right turn I thought it might have been a smaller double decker bus which could go under the bridge.
“Then I saw the steel framework of the bridge looming up and I knew that a crash was inevitable.”
Michael flung himself flat across the gangway as the bus roof roof crunched down over his head, his head and neck were covered with fragments of glass from the shatterd windows as the roof was pushed down to seat level.
“The lights went out and all was black except that I could dimly see the steel bridge over the top of the seats, the conductor came up the stairs to see if everybody was safe, I scrambled own the stairs and told him I was the only upstairs passenger.”
Three passengers on the lower deck suffered cuts from the glass but luckily the driver and conductor were both unhurt.
Magistrates fined Daniell £2 for driving without due care and attention; this does seem quite lenient considering the accident could easily have killed his 17-year-old passenger.
