Preston's Fishergate Bollards swap their Rolling Stones image for heavy metal

The first of six new-look bollards is back in place.

The infamous Fishergate Bollard gang are back on the streets and looking harder than ever.

After a radical makeover the six road markers at the intersection of Fishergate, Corporation Street and Butler Street are being returned to their plinths to guide pedestrians across Preston's most troublesome road junction.

And instead of the Rolling Stones, which were regularly knocked over by vehicles, the heavy metal replacements are designed to take a bigger impact if motorists misjudge the corners.

Highways bosses at nearby County Hall hope the new design, with clearer writing and a reflective red rose of Lancashire, will make them harder to miss . . . visually.

Workmen started the job on Monday and are already well ahead of their two-week schedule.

Whether the leader of the pack - the notorious Fishergate Bollard himself - will still attract the fan mail he has in the past is yet to be seen.

Already tongues are wagging about the drastic change of image from craggy concrete to steel chic. Some like it, others not so much.

And the iconic road marker's own Twitter page, with its 3,700 followers, looks set for plenty of traffic as word gets out.

But, as Lancashire County Council say, it's not all about looks. The proof will be in the accident count which sparked the change in the first place.

"We're hoping that this makeover will help to increase awareness of them, but for the right reasons this time," said Coun Keith Iddon, LCC's highways and transport spokesman.

"These safety features are very important, as they mark out the crossings and protect people as they cross the road.

"If a bollard is hit, then it's not a person being hit, which is the purpose of them being there."