Trains between Norwich and Ipswich should be back to normal this afternoon after running 40 minutes late because a lorry struck a bridge between Diss and Stowmarket this morning.

A lorry crashed into a bridge in the village of Bacton, north of Stowmarket, at 8.20am, leading to a bus service taking passengers between the rail stations at Diss and Stowmarket until midday.

The lorry that caused the delays was carrying chemicals so a thorough safety investigation of the bridge by Network Rail was needed before it could be re-opened.

A spokesman for National Express East Anglia, which runs the trains services on the line, said: 'The good news is that the bridge examiner was happy that normal running service over the bridge could be restarted from 11am, so the line is now running normally again.

'We are obviously sorry to any passengers who have been affected but clearly this was all outside of our control because it was someone driving into a bridge.

'For obvious reasons Network Rail were not going to let the bridge open again until they had done their checks.

'But given where this has happened and the time it happened, two-ana-a-half hours is not an unreasonable delay from our point of view.'

With the lorry that hit the bridge in Bacton also carrying chemicals, there were worries that damage to the vehicle could see the problem escalate.

The spokesman had initially said: 'We are expecting ongoing disruption this morning even if there is no damage as it will take time to sort the delays.

'What we clearly are doing is putting contingency plans into place so that would mean a bus service between Diss and Stowmarket until the line is open again.

'It is thought the lorry was carrying chemicals so unless the bridge examiner can say it is safe to pass over, then obviously we won't be able to run any trains over.'

Did you see the lorry hit the bridge or take photos of the crash? Contact reporter David Freezer on 01603 772418 or email david.freezer@archant.co.uk