CITY centre streets will be closed in Hereford for up to five weeks for anti-terrorist bollards to be installed.

A temporary road closure order will come into force later this month to allow 'hostile vehicle mitigation' works to take place, a notice placed by Herefordshire Council said.

The works come after it was announced in December that over £200,000 would be spent on bollards to make Hereford’s historic heart safer from terrorist attack, particularly during events.

ALSO READ:

Herefordshire Council said the aim was to reduce the risk of vehicle-borne attacks, “whether from errant vehicles or those acts motivated by terrorism aims”.

The measures “will ensure the safety of city users with an onus on those gathered for events”, given such attacks in European cities, it added.

The “fixed, removable and lowering/rising bollards at key city gateways” will be installed, at a cost of £202,830, by construction firm Speller Metcalfe

What are your thoughts?

You can send a letter to the editor to have your say by clicking here.

Letters should not exceed 250 words and local issues take precedence.

The move follows a “threat, vulnerability and risk assessment” carried out by the council in February 2021, which found the High Town, St Peter’s Street and Commercial Street area as having “the highest attractiveness as a target” given its high number of pedestrians.

Bewell Street and Eign Gate were rated as at lower risk due to existing bollards and street furniture.

The order is to temporarily prohibit the use of Widemarsh Street, Commercial Street, Broad Street (between High Street and West Street) and St Peters Street by vehicles between 7.30am and 6pm from March 11.

The works are expected to be completed within five weeks, Herefordshire Council said, with an alternative route for those affected via the A438 onto the A49 and then West Street and vice versa.