Urgent action needed over missing bollards near Leighton Buzzard Tesco which are putting pedestrians at risk, says councillor

A Leighton Buzzard politician is urging Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) to reinstate the missing bollards on a "dangerous" corner near Tesco.

Leighton-Linslade Town Councillor Clive Palmer is concerned about the lack of bollards at the entrance to Vimy Road, reporting that they have never been properly replaced since a car accident in 2017.

Cllr Palmer told the LBO that it has been a "constant battle" trying to get something done, and that it raises concerns about the safety of pedestrians.

He said: "There was a police car chase in the summer of 2017 and those [the vehicle] being chased managed to demolish the railings and bollards on the road by Linslade Tyres.

"It's been a constant battle since trying to get something done there.

"A lot of people use Tesco car park and walk into town, including parents collecting and taking their children to middle school."

Cllr Palmer noted that there used to be three bollards until early last year, until "another one was knocked down".

Now, just two out of the original five bollards remain.

He added: "It raises a question mark about the safety of pedestrians - the number of times the bollards have been hit or moved.

"I am quite keen for it to be addressed urgently."

Cllr Palmer is also concerned because of the amount of lorries that use the road in order to access Tesco, Homebase, and Aldi.

He added: "I'm not a highways engineer, but I do wonder sometimes whether lorry drivers see that corner [the bollards] particularly if they are going round a sharp corner."

He informed the LBO that he had recently heard that some new bollards were on order, and that CBC was looking for something more radical to be done.

A CBC spokesman said: "We raised an order to replace these bollards at the end of November, but are awaiting confirmation of a delivery date.”