Another driver has crashed into the bollards in Watford

Police were called to the bollards in Clarendon Road on Friday afternoon, after a convertible Mercedes was caught by a rising bollard.

The vehicle was clearly damaged and the road was shut into the evening to allow the car to be recovered. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Hertfordshire Constabulary says this was just one of many incidents involving the bollards and say "nearly all have been due to vehicles tailgating buses".

Pictured below are previous incidents. 

The red vehicle pictured needed to be recovered earlier this year

The set of bollards were introduced in November last year to deter motorists from driving through the High Street.

An automatic number plate recognition system allows authorised vehicles to pass through, but on numerous occasions, unauthorised drivers have closely followed an authorised vehicle, only to be stopped abruptly by the bollard rising back up from the ground.

Some car drivers have been injured and the crashed vehicle almost always needs recovering. At least one bus driver has been caught out in the past too.

The collisions also leaves bus passengers stranded in the High Street and forced to find other bus stops to aboard their service.

Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor has always maintained that "tailgating drivers are at fault" and said there is "adequate signage".

A sign next to the bollards does say 'one vehicle may only proceed'.

Earlier this year, Mr Taylor said: "The very small number of people who are tailgating buses to get past the bollards are acting illegally and extremely dangerously. Not only will they damage their own vehicle and potentially injure themselves, they can also be prosecuted by the police.

"These measures have already significantly reduced the number of cars using the town centre as a cut through, which means it is now a much safer and more pleasant environment for people who are walking or riding."

In November, Hertfordshire County Council resurfaced a section of road just before the bollards. It is now a grey anti-slip surface.

Watford Borough Council says it hopes the new surface will allow drivers to notice "the change in environment".

A yellow-box junction has also been painted where the bollards are, as shown in the image of the crashed Mercedes on Friday.

By law, drivers must not enter yellow boxes until the exit road or lane is clear, unless the driver is turning right.

Clarendon Road on November 25. The road has since been resurfaced

New yellow-box junction.