Picking up the bill for Preston's infamous Fishergate Bollard

Shine a light! The claim game for accidents involving Fishergate Bollard has left County Hall more than £3,000 out of pocket.
Another car comes to grief on the Fishergate BollardAnother car comes to grief on the Fishergate Bollard
Another car comes to grief on the Fishergate Bollard

And even though most drivers who smash into the infamous road marker have to cough up to repair it, two costly collisions have left the county council in the red.

Both came at night. And in both cases the illustrious Bollard was nowhere to be seen.

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The highways authority took the blame because the plinth on which concrete landmark normally stands was not lit up.

Replacing Fishergate Bollard is an expensive businessReplacing Fishergate Bollard is an expensive business
Replacing Fishergate Bollard is an expensive business

The two claimants were paid £2,744 and £2,284 for the damage done to their cars.

An LCC spokesman said the authority had settled because “the lighting on the plinth was not working and we accepted it was more difficult to see at that time.”

Fishergate Bollard was first cemented into place in 2014 as one of six pedestrian markers at the busy junction of Preston’s main shopping street with Corporation Street and Butler Street. Council staff say they have lost count of the number of times it and its five fellow markers have been hit by traffc at the busy intersection.

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But figures released by LCC this week show just six motorists have paid repair bills of between £144 and £420 for knocking it over, raising a total of £1,801. A seventh is currently being processed.

Conversely eight motorists have claimed against the authority for damage done to their vehicles. Six of those were successfully defended by County Hall, while the two paid out amounted to £5,029.

“We do try to recover the cost of any damage where we can identify the vehicle involved,” said the spokesman.

“And we try to repair the bollards rather than replacing them. This reduces the cost.

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“The bollards are important safety features which protect people using the courtesy crossings.”

LCC say the money claimed from drivers who have damaged the bollards includes a charge for the clearance of oil or debris after the collision.

“The bollard (Fishergate) has not been replaced for quite some time. It is plinth that keeps getting hit, causing damage to the vehicles who collide with it,” added the spokesman.

Four of the six bollards, including the most famous of the lot, are currently in a council workshop while the authority decides what to do next.

Throughout the past four years there have been calls for all six to be removed by opponents who claim they are a hazard to traffic.

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