8:00am Friday 19th March 2010
By Paul Ferguson
DESPERATE motorists have destroyed a road block to avoid driving through Hereford.
People around Grafton have discovered that drivers would rather break the law than face Belmont Road.
Parish councillors found that hundreds of motorists were using Merry Hill Lane as a link between the A49 Ross Road and the A465 Abergavenny road.
But their bid to close the track has been thwarted by axe-wielding motorists.
Bollards have been cut down and filed to the ground, while mounds and tree trunks have been moved.
Callow and Haywood Parish Council raised the rat-run problem five years ago following a collision.
Herefordshire Council installed three bollards across the lane in January after drivers ignored the no access signs.
The bollards also helped cyclists as the track is part of the Sustrans Cycle route from Hereford to Abergavenny.
But they did not last long – and further attempts to block the road have been undone by determined drivers.
“The middle one was sawn-off by someone about three days after they went in,” said resident Wendy Harvey.
“A mound was then dumped in the lane with the bollards stuck in, but someone dug it away and you can still drive through. The people who want to get through are very determined.
“Other people have dragged tree trunks and left branches and impromptu barriers, but nothing will stop them aside from a big block of concrete.”
Parish councillors recorded more than 100 movements on the unadopted lane in their one-hour survey.
John Burnett, Herefordshire Council press officer, said action could be taken very shortly.
“The council is dismayed by the action of those who cut down the bollard,” said Mr Burnett.
“We are aware of the situation and engineers are due to visit Merry Hill Lane later this week to consider what action can be taken.”
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