Future of Preston's Fishergate bollards is under review after yet another crash

There are now four missing bollards, leaving only two, at the junction of Fishergate, Butler Street and Corporation Street in Preston.

The damaged bollard has now been collected and taken to a Lancashire County Council highway depot, while a decision is made on the scheme’s future.

A Council spokesman said: “We’re putting traffic cones on the empty plinths on a temporary basis, while we consider our options.

“These bollards are important safety features which highlight the crossing points and help to protect pedestrians as they cross the road.”

Since being installed as part of the £3.4m Fishergate shared space scheme, the bollards have been crashed into by motorists numerous times, often leaving the concrete bollard rolling along the road.

While it is not known how the latest incident occurred, in December a white van became stuck on the base of an already-removed bollard during rush hour.

The main bollard had been whisked away by the Lancashire County Council after a number of drivers struggled to navigate around it.

In November, a Volkswagen Polo also ploughed into the base and had to be recovered.

The bollard has become a Preston folk institution, boasting its own unofficial Twitter account followed by thousands of people.

A Freedom of Information request to Lancashire County Council in 2017 revealed that the cost of replacing a bollard was £349.87 per ‘event’.

Speaking in August 2018, County Councillor Keith Iddon, Cabinet member for highways and transport, confirmed the monetary implications of the bollards being hit.

He said: “We do not pay for damage to vehicles which have hit the bollards or plinths.

“In fact we always attempt to reclaim the cost of any damage from drivers who have caused damage across the highway network, where we can identify the vehicle involved.”