A CONTROVERSIAL rising bollard has been knocked out of action for more than a week after it was struck by a wayward car.

The infamous Stonebow blockade was removed from the road and is currently undergoing urgent repairs after part of the structure was bent in the collision.

The traffic-calming device - not likely to be missed by some city centre drivers - is expected to be back in use later this week.

A City of York Council spokeswoman said the council was now pursuing an insurance claim for an undisclosed sum against the motorist behind the damage.

The spokeswoman said: "The Stonebow bollard was hit by a vehicle trying to get up there illegally on January 24.

"The vehicle ran straight into it and bent the ram, damaging it quite significantly.

"The bollard company came out last Monday and have taken it away to repair."

With the bollard out of action, the council today issued a warning to motorists who ignore road signs outlining access times to the city centre through Stonebow.

She said: "Anyone driving up there at the moment who should not be doing so is still breaking the law."

She could not confirm whether cameras were snaring drivers flouting the law in the absence of the bollard.

The Stonebow bollard was introduced in 2000 at the cost of about £60,000 amid a wave of controversy - and has stayed in the news ever since.

Council officials said the device, which drops to allow authorised vehicles like ambulances and buses to pass, would stop motorists illegally "rat-running" towards Pavement and stem city centre congestion.

A sensor fitted in authorised vehicles and a hi-tech registration plate recognition system enable the scheme to work.

But the bollard was briefly switched off just two weeks after its launch after a series of accidents involving unauthorised vehicles.

York council blamed bad drivers, but furious motorists left counting the cost of damage to their vehicles cited lack of warning signs. Some said they followed buses through and did not see the bollard as it rose under their cars.

Last year, the bollard hit the news again when it was plagued by intermittent mechanical problems and a new motor was fitted.

Updated: 10:56 Wednesday, February 04, 2004