What’s been happening to Preston’s infamous Fishergate Bollard, where is he and does he still have a future?

Yet these days the smash hit Fishergate Bollard is in hiding from trophy hunters wanting to own a celebrated chunk of Preston street culture.

Bolly, as he became known at the height of his bumper bending fame, hasn't been seen in public for nigh on three years after he and his five troublesome mates were banished for causing more collisions in the city centre than they prevented.

The last his adoring fans heard from him was almost 18 months ago with a message on his famous Twitter account hinting at a comeback.

Well today the Post can reveal the good news: We haven't seen the last of his craggy little face. Top secret plans are being hatched to bring him and his pals back in a new role - although County Hall bosses are staying tight-lipped for the time being.

Bolly and the five other concrete cornerstones gave six years of dedicated service to the community, marking pedestrian crossing points at the junctions of Fishergate, Corporation Street and Butler Street. But in 2020 they were branded a menace and unceremoniously replaced by steel bollards.

This week we finally tracked down Bolly and Co in their hush-hush semi-retirement home in the Preston area as they wait patiently to be recalled for special duties.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "The infamous Fishergate Bollard, known as Bolly, is currently enjoying retirement in our depot following a long and eventful life.

"Despite being in some near scrapes over the years, Bolly remains healthy and happy, spending his days with his motley crew of bollards after his days protecting the people of Preston.

"We appreciate that Bolly's infamy has garnered him an army of loyal fans who are keen to be reunited with their hardened hero. We can confirm that a new location in the city centre is being looked into to see if it would be a suitable location to re-site Bolly in the future."

Fishergate Bollard and his mates first made an appearance in November 2014 as part of the controversial shared space scheme on Preston's busiest shopping street. County Hall chiefs admitted they lost count of the number of times the bollards were knocked over or damaged by cars failing to see them, especially at night.

At one point four of the six were in for repair, sparking speculation that the council had finally lost patience. Some fans even launched a Save Bolly campaign. Yet time and again they reappeared, especially Fishergate Bollard who bore the brunt of the collisions at the top of Corporation Street.

The marker launched its own Twitter page in August 2016 which, even today, still has more than 3,500 followers. Bolly became a tourist attraction and an icon, getting its own space on Preston's Monopoly game, featuring in a stage play, being short-listed for an award in the city's Smiles Better Awards and appearing in a music video by local band PR5 for their latest release called Brace Yourself.

In November 2021 LCC announced Bolly was being brought out of retirement, although a final decision had yet to be made on where and for what purpose. But almost 17 months later he remains sitting in a depot with his feet up.

This week the LCC spokesman added: "What Bolly's (new) role will be is yet to be decided, as we fear his days of butting heads with motorists are probably behind him. More will be revealed when the time is right. All we can say for now is – watch this space."