WORK started yesterday to repair retractable bollards in a town centre street that had become ‘a dangerous rat run’.

Contractors were brought in to sort out the broken traffic management devices on Church Street in Blackburn after three months of a number of ‘near misses’ and small accidents.

A delivery van and a Volkswagen Safira collided on Monday just where the main bollards near the market should have kept them apart and the previous week a pedestrian narrowly avoided being hit by a vehicle.

Also on Monday the service entrance to The Mall shopping centre on Church Street was closed to deliveries for security improvements and many vehicles will have to use the alternative entrance on Ainsworth Street even when it reopens.

Yesterday Blackburn with Darwen Council brought in ATG Acess to repair the Church Street retractable bollards and another set on Fleming Square all of which have been out or order since March.

Cllr Phil Riley, borough highways boss, said: “These bollards had not been working for some months and it was clear that drivers were using the road as a rat run.

“There had been a number of small accidents and near misses and Church Street was becoming dangerous.

“It was important to do something before anyone got hurt.

“The fact that The Mall service entrance was being closed increased the urgency of the issue.

“The retractable bollards had been in place for some time and it was case that wear and tear had stopped key parts working.

“The council could not allow Church Street to continue to be used as a rat run endangering people on what should be a pedestrianised area.

“Therefore we called in specialist contractors to do the necessary repairs and get the bollards back in action.”

Malcolm Marsden, owner of Whittakers Butchers Stall on Blackburn Market, said: “It was about time something got done. The bollards needed repairing before someone got injured.”

Loraine Jones, general manager at The Mall Blackburn, said: “The changes to our service roads are part of a wider strategy to improve our security management systems here at The Mall.

“The control room is being relocated and internal streamlining of the service road layout has taken place.

“A new one way route for deliveries and contractors has been introduced, with the majority of traffic being directed to the entrance on Ainsworth Street.

“Further updates to security management procedures have also been implemented as part of the plans, which will assist in the on going improvement of systems.”

The work was due for completion yesterday.