A cash-strapped council has been slammed for spending tens of thousands of pounds on US-style parklets that have been described as “naff sun loungers”.
Lincolnshire County Council erected the brightly-coloured wooden seating and decking as part of a scheme to encourage people to spend more time in the town.
Believed to have cost £60,000, the small seating areas - a common sight in the US - are the first of their kind in the UK and installed in the historic market town in Louth, Lincolnshire.
But residents have lashed out at the move.
Local taxi driver Harry Bolton, 48, said: "Everybody is just gobsmacked at how ridiculously bad they look. It's a complete waste of taxpayers' money.
"On top of that they cannot be safe. They are sticking out into one of the busiest roads in the town and there's no protection from traffic.
"Not only that, who wants to lie on a wooden sun lounger in the middle of a town centre while inhaling fumes from passing traffic?
"I haven't picked up one passenger who thinks they are a good idea. The council is completely out of touch with what people want.
"This is not the USA, we are a historic Georgian town in Britain and they just look rubbish and are not in keeping with the area.”
A crowd of 250 people at a recent public meeting voted almost unanimously in favour of calling on the council to halt the scheme in its tracks.
Louth Town and District Councillor Andrew Leonard said: “This latest initiative really is the last straw, who on earth wants to sit by a roadside with cars, vans, buses and delivery vehicles passing within feet?
“The county council has failed to listen to what the public want for their town centre and are completely out of touch.”
Defending the idea, Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways at the authority, said they were trialling different options as part of the government-backed Active Travel Scheme.
He said: "The early signs from people in the town who interacted with us were that, on the whole, the parklets are a good idea and will be used as intended.
"There's clearly a lot of support in Louth, and across Lincolnshire, for exploring different ways of using our high streets and moving about them.
"The government has provided this money to experiment with new ideas and approaches to try and do things better.
“These are the latest elements on what is the ongoing trial period for a sustainable future for the market town.”
Joe Ventre, digital campaign manager of the TaxPayers' Alliance, added: "It's no wonder residents are up in arms about these kerbside contraptions.
"After enduring another council tax rise this year, local taxpayers are bound to wonder if this scheme is the best use of their money during a cost of living crisis.
"Lincolnshire County Council must get its priorities in order and keep costs down for hard-pressed households."
