Bollards put down by the council to stop people driving over a small green in Nythe will lower the value of properties around it, claims a householder.

Rebecca Woodfield lives in Fraser Close in Nythe and before the lockdown she and her husband Steven were in discussions with the borough council over damage to the grass caused when he parks his van on their drive.

But they are upset that the council has now edged the grass with low plastic bollards to prevent cars and vans parking on the verge.

Rebecca said: “The council told us they wanted us to pay for the corner of the grass which has been slightly damaged when my husband drives across it to get onto the drive. We agreed to do that, and we got the forms just before lockdown, but we couldn’t carry on

“It cost £145 just to get the forms and the council approved builders quoted £800-900 for the job, which we thought was very steep - nearly £1,000 for a square of turf. We said we’d do it ourselves, but that wasn’t acceptable.”

But what really upset Rebecca was the appearance of a line of bollards along the edge of the green next to the pavement. She thinks they are ugly and will reduce the value of the properties in the close.

The 45-year-old said: “They just came along and put them in I asked the workers if they’d want them in their street and they admitted they wouldn’t.

“It’s the council’s land and one of the council’s officers said they could do what they want with it. But all these houses are private and paid for.

“I’m a self-employed hairdresser and I don’t have a pension. My house is my investments and we’ve been working on it and trying to get it perfect.

"These bollards are so plastic and ugly they just lower the value of all the houses around here.”

Rebecca said she doesn’t quite know why the action has been taken now: “There were builders vans parked along there all last winter and nobody came when whenever we called about it.

“I think the council should concentrate on putting more parking in streets, because the numbers of cars is only ever going to go up, and that’s a better use of its budget than spending thousands on roundabouts that don’t need to be fixed or changed.”

A council spokesman said: “We installed the bollards to prevent vehicles parking illegally on the grass verge, which was damaging the grass and could potentially damage the utility pipes and cables that run underneath it.

“The bollards will also prevent the pavement being made slippery by the transfer of mud, the kerbs being damaged and deep ruts being created in the soil. Also, when vehicles are parked on the verge, they tend to block pavement access for other pedestrians.

“We are sensitive to the residents’ concerns about the bollards, but they have been installed to the greater benefit of the community.”