'Big, yellow' Lidl bollard painted again after more cars crash into it at Netherfield supermarket

A bollard at the Lidl supermarket in Netherfield has been painted again after cars kept crashing into it. The post, rapidly becoming infamous amongst the population of the Nottinghamshire suburb, was collided with on a regular basis by customers of the shop.

It was previously bright yellow and four-feet tall, having replaced a smaller bollard that was removed and increased in size to make it more visible. But the size increase clearly wasn't enough - and now, black hoops with a fluorescent trim have been added to its design in a further attempt to kerb the repeated incidents.

Nottinghamshire Live first reported on the issue on October 18 when members of the public to came forward to report the nuisance of the post - with some laying the blame on Lidl for not doing something about its position and others blaming motorists for not spotting it. Reportedly, more than 10 collisions had occured in the previous two years.

Then on October 25, a post on a local Facebook group alluded to it having happened yet again. A photo showed a damaged car next to the yellow pole, captioned: "How can you not see this yellow post? Second one today at Lidl."

People in the comments were divided in their opinions on the issue. One person said: "Every time someone hits it, just think that if it wasn't there they could have hit a pedestrian. Personally I think the big yellow post is doing its job, making unobservant drivers aware of the dangers!"

Someone else said: "Please if you hit this go to the DVLA and hand your licence back." And a third said: "How can people miss it! It’s big and yellow! I've driven around it so many times it’s really not in the way unless your cutting the corner!"

But others took a more sympathetic view, with one saying: "Every time I go to Lidl, there's either a smashed up car in the carpark or else there's bits of broken headlight or taillight around that bollard. It's obviously an issue if so many people are hitting it."

On Wednesday, October 30, it appeared the bollard had been painted. Two miniature traffic cones held in place by red and white tape surrounded the pole, while a fluorescent green piece of paper with the words "wet paint" appeared to be balanced on top.

When contacted, a spokesperson for Lidl repeated the company's previous statement on the issue, which reads: "The safety of our customers is our top priority. As such, we have a bollard in place to protect pedestrians using the designated path in the car park."

If you've hit the bollard yourself, we want to hear from you. Text Joseph Connolly on 07909003479 or email joseph.connolly@reachplc.com.