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Business owners in Bargoed have described the council’s decision to place 60 bollards along the pavements as the “final nail in the coffin” for the town.

The one-way system down Hanbury Road is difficult enough to deal with at the best of times, argues shopkeeper Taz Dh, who told Caerphilly Observer this decision has “killed the town centre off”.

Taz, who runs the One Stop shop, said: “We never received any communication from the council. I came to the shop today and had to ask the council workers what was going on and they told me 60 emergency bollards are going in.

“The reality is, the handful of loading bays are always full of cars, meaning there are occasions where our delivery drivers are forced to park on the pavement to unload stock.

“The council putting bollards on the widest parts of the pavements means cars are either going to try and wedge themselves in the smaller sections, or worse, block up the road. What if there’s a police car or ambulance trying to get through?”

Taz explained how his parents are also going to feel the struggle – they’ve ran popular hardware shop, Decofore, for the past 23 years on the high street.

He added: “This is the final nail in the coffin for me. I feel as if the council are trying to kill the town off deliberately.”

David Greening of B. Thomas Pet and Garden Supplies also told Caerphilly Observer how challenging he expects the high street to be with the addition of these bollards.

He said: “I’ve got a loading bay, but nine times out of ten it’s full and I’ll have to use the pavement. When I’ve got 15/20kg sacks of dog food or something, you can’t expect me or customers to be able to carry that any distance.

“There is one car park here but it’s up a really steep hill which isn’t accessible for elderly or disabled, it just means I’m going to have to stop the van in the middle of the road and block traffic.

“This feels like a rash decision made by people who don’t know the town and have never been here. They think they’ve solved an issue but it’s made things ten times worse.”

More worryingly, David said this could push his business over the edge at an already “testing time”. He added: “I honestly might have to shut. It’s not the inconvenience to me but to the customers, it’ll kill the town.”

Popular pub The Square Royale already struggles to find space to unload stock according to owner Russell Sorrell, who said the town has struggled after becoming a one way system a few years ago.

He continued: “There are a few reasons why businesses are struggling around here, one of them being the road, another being the amount of patrol officers.

“Five, even six days a week you see officers patrolling the streets fining people, it puts customers off who might just want to stop for a short period and can’t walk too far.

“People are being pushed away and these bollards are only going to add to the problem.”

A Caerphilly County Borough Council spokesperson said: “There have been numerous incidents and complaints over the years relating to parking problems and pedestrian safety in Bargoed town centre.

“The majority of the bollards being installed are part of a replacement programme and have been in-situ for a number of years. 

“Bargoed is well served along the High Street with parking and loading bays, along with a number of car parks in the nearby vicinity. 

“These bollards place the emphasise back on drivers to consider highway safety and not to use the footways for parking.”