A bollard has been dubbed the “most useless in London” as it is so easily taken out of action. 

The road block bollard in Lewisham’s Glenbow Road was introduced more than a year ago as part of emergency Covid-19 measures to encourage a healthier lifestyle.

Lewisham Council hoped it would reduce traffic and create “safer walking and cycling conditions for local trips to school, work, and the shops”.  

But the bollard meant to enforce it is constantly being pushed down.  

The council said back in April that it would look into getting “more robust” locks, but nothing has appeared.  

It is unclear who the mystery vandal or vandals are, but a local resident has said the council should introduce a camera to catch them.  

Matthew Sparkes, a trustee of the London Cycling Campaign, said he has reported the issue to the council numerous times and believes the problem is putting children in danger.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The barrier has been in place for well over a year but it’s been down due to vandals more than it’s been up.  

“It’s the most useless bollard in London.

“One lazy driver is putting everyone in danger, including all the children trying to walk and scoot to the nearby primary school.  

“When the barrier is up the road feels safe and quiet but when it’s down the speeding cars make it so dangerous.  

“I’ve reported it dozens of times and all the council does is send someone to put the bollard back. We need CCTV or a barrier that can’t be broken.” 

Back in March a council spokesperson said the local authority was “reviewing the types of traffic filters which are currently in place and assessing whether changes need to be made to help prevent vandalism”.  

On August 11 a spokeswoman said the council is looking into finding a solution.

She said: “We strongly condemn the actions of the individual who has vandalised this bollard, which is unacceptable behaviour.

“We are considering options to find a solution that achieves the aim of the scheme, and minimises opportunities for people to damage the infrastructure and contravene the restrictions.

“We have recently received confirmation of funding, so will be in a position to progress once we have fully evaluated the options.”