Video: Yacht gets wedged under UK railway bridge

Motorists in the UK county of Essex were left surprised after a large yacht caused a traffic jam when it became stuck underneath a railway bridge.

The unusual incident, which happened near Chelmsford city centre on 27 April, was captured on camera by a passing driver.

Motorists were forced into a single line while approaching Chelmsford, while workers dressed in high-visibility clothing attempted to help a low-loader driver navigate the yacht — understood to be a 15-metre Princess F50 — out of the arches.

Traffic was seen building up throughout Saturday morning due to the obstruction.

Unexpectedly low bridges can cause problems for boats, both on the water and off. Last year, a boat full of football fans became wedged under London’s Hammersmith Bridge as it attempted to pass beneath it.

The small ferry was taking West Ham fans to a match against Fulham when it struck Hammersmith Bridge on 10 December 2023.

Yacht gets stuck under Chelmsford bridge

Essex Live reports a sign on the back of the low-loader read ‘bred last’, a Swedish warning sign meaning ‘wide load’.

Essex Police were called to the scene at around 9.20am where the yacht was stuck under Chelmsford bridge. A video of the boat wedged under the arches has been seen more than half a million times on Facebook.

It’s reported that the boat was en route from Denmark to the UK to a boat yard in Essex Marina. The low-loader took an alternative route after the planned motorway route was closed, resulting in the yacht becoming wedged against the railway bridge walls.