'Death trap' Llangollen social distancing bollards to be scrapped

Bollards and rubber kerbs installed to help social distancing on a town's high street are to be scrapped after they were described as a "death trap".

People falling over bollards and kerbs in a north Wales town have been caught on CCTV with one woman apparently seen falling in front of a moving car.

Some residents of Llangollen signed a petition to remove the measures and Denbighshire council will replace them.

New 3ft planters and white lines to extend the pavement will be put in.

Town councillor Stuart Davies, who organised the petition, said at least four falls had been caught on camera on Llangollen's main shopping street with another woman seen falling in front of a moving car, which just stopped in time.

'Absolute death trap'

While another man said he tripped over a bollard outside a chip shop on Castle Street, landing heavily on his knee while on a day out with his wife.

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Keith Wilson, 52, said the bollard bases were "hardly visible and an absolute death trap".

He added the fall left his knee "swollen and bruised" and he could "hardly walk".

The bollards in Llangollen's main shopping street will be replaced with planters next week

The owner of one of the shops on Castle Street said the bollards needed to be taken down immediately as "so far people have been lucky and there have been no deaths of people being hit by traffic."

Sian Glynne-Jones, owner of Courtyard Books, said there had been many falls caused by the temporary street furniture, including a man who she said broke his nose and an elderly woman who needed to be taken to hospital.

On one occasion she said a man was stopped falling into a chip shop window by a bicycle which was "completely ruined" as a result.

"We cannot wait for them to be replaced in several weeks' time," said Ms Glynne-Jones.

'Someone could die'

She said there was danger on both sides - with people either falling into the busy road or into the old shop widows, which she said could result in someone getting "seriously hurt".

"So far people have been lucky and there have been no deaths of people being hit by traffic but any one of these elderly people could die as a result of these falls from complications," said Ms Glynne-Jones.

She added she was particularly worried about elderly people especially as streets could get busier now Covid lockdown restrictions had eased, adding more delivery vans could be also parked on the street.

"It makes me so angry that they are not taking it seriously enough," she said.

Sian Glynne-Jones said that "So far people have been lucky and there have been no deaths"

Town councillor Mr Davies has said CCTV footage has "surfaced showing how bad these falls are."

"The cases of people tripping and falling, causing in some cases severe injuries, is now well documented," he said.

'Public concern'

The temporary measures were installed in Llangollen - similar to other schemes in towns across the country - in the spring of 2020 in a bid to help social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Denbighshire council has confirmed that the "rubber kerbs and accompanying bollards" will be removed "following concerns raised by the public".

"These will be replaced with planters which are approximately 3ft high," said a council spokesperson.

"The planters will help to maintain sufficient pavement width for social distancing purposes.

"White lines have also been recently painted between the road and area of widened pavement."

The work to replace the bollards and kerbs with planters is due to start next week.