The water barriers in Richmond town centre will be removed at the end of the month.

They were installed over lockdown along pinch points on George Street and opposite the Odeon cinema to meet social distancing demands.

The Richmond Society chairman Barry May listed four reasons why they have now served their purpose:

• the extra width of the footpath is seldom use by those on foot
• the difference in levels between pavement and road create a trip hazard
• they introduce a danger to cyclists by narrowing the main road through the town centre. Those opposite the now closed House of Fraser in particular force cyclists to move into the traffic stream, as was pointed out in a survey by The Richmond Society in June
• alongside the large number of shops that have closed they add to a growing sense of abandonment and neglect.

"As the barriers are no longer effective, they can removed without incurring risk either to pedestrians or road traffic," he said.

Richmond Council has confirmed that they are being removed by the end of October and said a disabled parking bay and bus stop will return.

A council spokesperson said: "Over the past few weeks officers have been assessing the current impact of these measures.

"In addition, the council has received feedback from the community that the measures are no longer needed.

"It has been observed that as queuing outside shops has been reduced, pedestrians in the area are not using the additional footway.

"Therefore, in consultation with the local ward councillors, the barriers will be removed, along with the signage from George Street.

"The disabled parking bay and suspended bus stop will also be reintroduced."