New bollards on an historic Perth roadbridge have rusted over in just a matter of months.
The cast iron pillars were put in place on Perth Bridge in October. They are designed to stop vehicles mounting the kerb and causing irreversible damage to the 250-year-old crossing.
Perth and Kinross Council has so far refused to say how much it paid for the posts, which were kept in storage after initial attempts to install them last summer were postponed.
The bollards have been blamed for giving visitors an unsightly welcome to Perth, after several turned orange with rust.
The issue was raised at a meeting of the Bridgend and Gannochy Community Council, where it was suggested the bollards were actually rusty before they were installed.
Perth City Centre councillor Peter Barrett said: “I have reported the issue to the council and asked whether the paintwork is still under guarantee.
“I’ve also been to look at them and was disappointed at how quickly the finish has deteriorated, some of the bollards are completely bare.”
The Liberal Democrat councillor said: “Given the listed status of the bridge I expect the bollard specification to have been pretty precise.
“It doesn’t look like a premium paint with alkyd oil binders has been used, or if it has then something has gone wrong with how it was applied. I will also pursue that with the council.”
He said the rusted bollards could be fixed with a proper primer and a few coats of a premium finishing product.
“But the works should have been done properly first time around,” he said.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokeswoman confirmed action will be taken soon to improve the appearance of the bridge, including repainting bollards and washing down the parapets.
She added further work on the bridge would be carried out when the new Cross Tay Link Road is in place.
“The Old Perth Bridge is safe for use,” she said. “Officers will continue to monitor the condition of the bridge and bring forward any further works necessary to safeguard the travelling public should the bridge’s condition deteriorate significantly prior to completion of the proposed Cross Tay Link Road.”
