A brassed-off butcher has reacted furiously after council chiefs did the opposite of what he's been calling for.

As previously reported Gary Hunt has campaigned for a traffic-safety bollard near his home to be painted luminous orange.

Gary explains what he thinks needs doing

He claims what is called "the metal bell" in London Road, Strood, blends into the background of the adjacent Papa John's pizza eatery because it is white.

This means some motorists don't properly see it and end up crashing into it – leading Gary to fear someone could be seriously injured.

In November he made his latest plea for the bollard to be given a paint job but got back in touch this week to say he was "losing the will to live".

This was because the council had gone ahead and painted the "bell"...white.

However, it's not all bad news for Gary as the authority has told KentOnline this is just a temporary measure.

The bollard is on the corner of London Road and Gun Lane and is there to stop vehicles cutting across the pavement and potentially injuring pedestrians.

However, there have been several cases of motorists hitting the bollard in recent years.

One of them was Gary's son Jonathan in an accident which caused thousands of pounds damage to his car.

The 59-year-old Northcote resident said: "It's simple, cheap and I'd respray it myself if I didn't think I would get into trouble. But I'd probably get done for graffiti or criminal damage.

"It's such a simple solution, paint it a colour so people can see it. At the moment, it's just like having a concrete breeze block in the middle of a busy road. I am losing the will to live. Why won't anyone listen to me, before it's too late?"

He added: "It's a potential death trap. Watch this space. I don't want to be the one to say 'I told you so', but it's a matter of time before somebody is killed. It's not a matter of if but when somebody is either seriously injured or killed.

"I accept it's there for a reason and understand why it was put there all those years ago – to prevent accidents. But sadly it's actually causing them."

But there might be light at the end of the tunnel for Gary with the council's head of transport and parking, Michael Edwards, saying: "The bell has been painted white as a temporary measure and we are currently considering options for a long-term solution.”