RISING bollards in Worcester city centre that have worked for only two days in eight years are to go live within the next three months.

Worcestershire County Council is currently carrying out the final stages of preparations to assess where to put signs up around the city telling motorists about the bollards.

The authority is also working closely with bus companies and other businesses who will need access to Angel Street to make sure they have special chips attached to their vehicles.

Drivers of taxis and private cars currently use the road to travel through the city, but once the bollards go live only vehicles with chips attached will be able to trigger the bollards to lower when approached between 10.30am and 4.30pm.

A county council spokeswoman said the company that installed the bollards, ATG Access, carried out another test last week to make sure they are still working properly.

"All we need to do now is the support work around it," she said.

"It is all going live in three months. We hope it will be before then but because of holidays we are putting a conservative time on it."

As previously reported in your Worcester News the bollards cost the taxpayer £40,000 and have refused to rise and lower over the years despite efforts by engineers to correct the problem.

When the bollards went live last year they would only lower when a vehicle approached from St Nicholas Street, not Foregate Street.

ATG Access installed a second detector opposite McDonald's but it did not work due to a strong magnetic field in that part of the city centre. This has been dealt with, although ATG would not say how.

Anybody who will need a chip attached to their vehicle are being urged to get in contact with the county council.