A Coventry firm has completed a project to protect a busy outdoor street market in London from the threat of terrorist vehicle attacks.
Safetyflex Barriers has provided over 100 anti-terrorism bollards at Broadway Market in Hackney to safeguard shoppers and traders from harmful vehicle strikes.
It is now working with other councils in London to advise on similar schemes to reduce the risk of vehicles being used as deadly weapons against the public.
Safetyflex Barriers has supplied its Truckstopper bollard at Broadway Market which is retractable and designed to stop vehicles from entering the bustling market at speed with the intent to endanger lives.
Broadway is the first market in Hackney to have anti-terrorism bollards with more set to follow as the local council seeks to prevent tragedies similar to those experienced in Germany in recent years.
The Victorian street market is one of the most popular in London.
It has been used as a film location and along with other squares and streets in the East End, is believed to have partly inspired the BBC TV soap EastEnders.
As well as a Saturday outdoor market with 120 regular stalls, it is home to around 70 shops, cafes and restaurants open every day of the week.
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Marcus Gerrard, director at Safetyflex Barriers, said: “Street markets are a target for terrorist vehicle attacks as was tragically experienced in Berlin in 2016 and Muenster in 2018.
“Hackney Council decided to protect the public, that all markets should be protected and Broadway is the first in the borough to have anti-terrorism bollards installed, with our Truckstopper design chosen to safeguard the public.
“London councils are looking for the most advanced and aesthetically-pleasing anti-terrorism bollards, and the Truckstopper bollard delivers on both.
“It can stop large vehicles travelling at high speed, and its slimline and oval appearance impacts less on a street scene.”
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Safetyflex Barriers has also designed an anti-terrorism bollard to specifically protect London bridges which was successfully crash-tested to industry standards earlier this year.
The Truckstopper Bridge Bollard, which requires no fixing to a bridge deck and can instead be mounted on an ultra-shallow freestanding topping, can stop an 18-tonne vehicle.
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Mr Gerrard added: “Our innovative bollards and barriers have gained an international reputation within the anti-terrorist market and protect high-profile locations around the world.
“Having protected venues for the London 2012 Olympics, we are proud to have been chosen to deliver the first bollard installation at a market in Hackney, and to be working with other London councils to develop similar schemes to safeguard the public.”