Nottinghamshire County Council forks out £17,400 on electronic gates

A Freedom of Information request has revealed the £17,448 price tag of the gates on Willowbridge Lane in Sutton, which were installed to stop the narrow route being used as a rat run.

The gates were only operational for two weeks before they were damaged and removed because they were ‘beyond repair’ and posed a risk to traffic.

A council spokesman said: “We do not have a record of the cost of removing the gates.

“The highways operations team removed the gates when they were in the area carrying out other work so the cost would have been minimal.”

The gates were installed in April 2013 on the lane, which is part access only, following a sustained campaign by the lane’s residents.

The spokesman added: “We are currently considering an alternative method of controlling the gate and, if viable, it will be replaced.”

Resident Colin Dove said the works have been an expensive eyesore .

He said: “Residents were not asking for automatic bollards or gates but fixed bollards and if that was not practical then speed humps.

“Nott’s County Council over-ruled both those suggestions and came up with electric automatic gates. I am sure the cost of bollards would be a lot less than £17,448.

“Is this money down the plug hole, wasted? Will the residents that live close by be left with a £17,448 eye-sore?”