Resident hits out at 'bollard abominations' in Nether Stowey

Mary Reece, 64, of Lime Street, is particularly unhappy with the plastic material used and 'fake oak' design of the bollards, describing them as an 'abomination'.

Mrs Reece said: “This is a village that is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and I do not feel these plastic bollards are in keeping. The fake oak is unsightly and surely being plastic it is not environmentally friendly.

“I understand they are needed for safety reasons and to stop boy racers but I do hope they can be taken out and replaced with something a bit more appropriate.”

The new bollards were installed on Tuesday, and when her bins were collected on later in the week, Mary joked that she would put a 'please recycle me' sign on the bollard directly outside her home.

"I have been living here for 33 years and I do not normally kick up a fuss but I do think these are an outrage," Mrs Reece said.

There have been six of the bollards installed along the road, and Somerset County Council say they are 'sympathetic with the surrounding environment'.

A Somerset County Council spokesman said: “The bollards on Lime Street were installed for safety reasons after concerns were raised by the Parish Council and our local County Council member after drivers were mounting the pavement and using it as an extension to the carriageway.

“This was posing a serious danger to residents and pedestrians.

“Despite the road being narrow the new bollards will prevent drivers from using the pavement in this way.

“There is sufficient space between the bollards for drivers to safely pull-in when necessary and allow other drivers through."

The works have been delivered as part of a Small Improvement Scheme requested for the village by the local county councillor Mike Caswell after discussions with the Parish Council.

“The type of bollard was specifically chosen with safety in mind given the proximity of the bollards to people’s homes, whilst being sympathetic to the surrounding environment.”