Bath 'ring of steel' cost doubles to more than £7.4m

A security survey identified the area around Bath Abbey as being vulnerable to a possible terrorist attack

The cost of installing measures as part of a counter-terrorism "ring of steel" around a city centre has risen to more than £7m.

Work has begun on the scheme which includes installing security bollards on some streets in the centre of Bath.

The scheme was proposed after lorries were used to kill civilians in Berlin and Nice in terror attacks in 2016.

The original cost was put at £2.7m but that has now risen to £7.4m, according to new figures from the city council.

Shortage of materials

The measures are being brought in after a National Counter Terrorism Security Office report identified areas around Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths as crowded areas requiring protection from the potential for terrorist attacks with vehicles.

The work began in January and is due to be delivered in phases over the next two years.

In November 2022 it was announced the costs would top £3m due to delays caused by a shortage of building materials and inflation.

At the time a Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES) report said scaling back the scheme had been considered but was ruled out.

"Any mitigations to save costs will seriously compromise the security provision within the city centre security scheme," it said.

'Complex things'

Jared Pocock, one of the owners of Mrs Potts Chocolate Shop in Bath city centre, said the delays were causing concern among traders.

"We support the scheme," he said. "We think it's not a bad idea - the installation of the bollards and the increasing of safety makes a lot of sense.

"The challenge for us is the management by the council and the time it's taking to do it and the cost.

"The scheme is similar to one they have in Cardiff where we have another store. It works, it's a great system - it's just the installation time and cost which is an issue for us."

Bath attracts huge numbers of tourists each year

Liberal Democrat councillor Richard Samuel, deputy leader of BANES, said new complexities with implementing the security measures were being discovered now the work had begun.

"Bath is a city that has grown up over the last 2,000 years with all sorts of complex things underneath the surface and you don't know what there is until you start digging it up," he said.

"Despite surveys we have carried out over the last two years... we are still finding things that we didn't expect because that's the nature of this city - it's an historic city."

Mr Samuel said he hoped costs would not rise further.

"I hope not," he said.

"The current cost estimates we are working off come out of tenders... so I would hope that we don't see any further increase in the costs."

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