Serious flaws in an anti-terror security system designed to protect the centre of Canterbury from a hostile vehicle attack have been exposed by KentOnline.

An investigation has uncovered alarming weaknesses in a network of bollards installed around the heart of the historic city to stop motorists entering the busy pedestrian zone and ploughing into large crowds of people.

Such tragedies have been seen as recently as last week, when a man and woman were mown down and killed in the German town of Mannheim, with similar attacks carried out with deadly consequences elsewhere in the months before.

But our findings reveal how easily Canterbury’s defences are bypassed, with the metre-high posts frequently down at several locations and council staff allowing our reporter into the restricted zone without any questions asked.

We passed our findings to Canterbury City Council, which launched an urgent investigation, apologised to the public and pledged to retrain all staff on “proper protocols”.

But more than a month on, the issues have persisted, with a number of bollard sites seen out of action, including just 20 minutes after the Queen left a packed high street following a recent visit to the city.

The former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office says KentOnline’s findings should act as a “wake-up call” for the council, branding the current system “not fit for purpose” and urging the authority to address the vulnerabilities exposed.

Protecting the city

In 2019, it was revealed more than 100 bollards would be installed at locations across Canterbury city centre to stop a vehicle being used as a weapon on its pedestrian-filled streets.

The council said there was “no specific intelligence” the city was at risk, but pushed forward with the project on the advice of counter-terrorism police, at a cost of almost £800,000 to local taxpayers.

The work was completed in 2020, with 11 entry points protected by immovable bollards and the remaining nine fitted with electronic posts, which are monitored by CCTV and operated remotely from the city council’s control room.

These bollards are supposed to be up 24 hours a day unless lowered momentarily to allow a permitted vehicle to pass through.

However, on several occasions since the start of the year, access points have been left completely open for extended periods, with vehicles free to drive in and out of the prohibited zone at all times of the day.

Our reporter first spotted the bollards lowered in St Peter’s Street - at the foot of the high street near the Westgate Towers - at 6.36pm on January 7. They were also down when he returned four hours later.

It was quickly established this was far from a one-off, with surveillance over the next two weeks revealing bollards to be lowered across several locations on 25 separate visits.

At no point were all sites seen to be operational, and on one occasion four of the city’s nine automated entry points were down at the same time.

At one site - Burgate - the bollards were up on every visit, so our reporter decided to test how robust the council-operated entry system was.

Only registered residents and certain vehicles, such as the emergency services, are permitted access during the “core pedestrian hours” of 10.30am and 4pm. Outside of these hours, this permission extends to delivery drivers, rubbish trucks and utilities contractors, among others.

KentOnline reporter Brad Harper drives into the restricted zone without any questions being asked of him

Our reporter drove up to the Burgate barrier at 10.08am on January 20 and pressed the button on the intercom, armed with a cover story for why he needed to enter the prohibited zone.

But, worryingly, the bollards began to lower before he had spoken a word, with the operator cautioning: “As always, please wait until they go fully down and the green light goes green.”

Our reporter then drove through and along Burgate towards Canterbury Cathedral, where a large crowd of children were gathered in the shadow of the city’s iconic landmark.

He passed them and exited the restricted zone at Sun Street, before re-entering a few minutes later at Rose Lane, near Primark, where the bollards had been down for some time.

He then drove along the city’s busy high street - closely passing by hundreds of pedestrians - before leaving the zone again at the end of St Peter’s Street, near the Westgate Towers.

Our evidence of the system’s failures was passed to the council on January 22.

First council response

On January 28, CCC responded to say it had launched an investigation after being told of the issues uncovered by KentOnline.

It added that all staff were being retrained on “proper protocols”.

“We are hugely disappointed that a member of our team did not follow the correct procedures when allowing access through the bollards and can only apologise to the public,” a spokesman said.

“We are very grateful it has been brought to our attention.

“As soon as we were told this was the case, we launched an investigation and are retraining all of our staff on the proper protocols so this does not happen again.”

The authority added it had held talks with the bollard manufacturer about reliability and was “actively exploring” its options.

“We work really hard to keep the bollards operating around the pedestrian zone and monitor them in our control room 24 hours a day,” he explained.

“We have had a large number of meetings with the manufacturer/installer in an effort to radically improve reliability and are actively exploring our options. Having said that, the bollards are a complex piece of mechanical machinery - the occasional problem is inevitable.

“Their installation was always going to be challenging because of the history and archaeology of the city, its narrow streets and the complex network of pipes and cables supplying utilities under the ground.”

‘I’m a Tesco delivery driver’

The council assured KentOnline all bollards would be fully operational by February 3, but that same afternoon, at 2.45pm, the automated posts were again down in The Friars, near the Marlowe Theatre.

When the issue was flagged with CCC, it said it “was not going to get into a running commentary on individual bollards”.

In the weeks that followed, several of the electronic gateways were again seen to be out of action, including in Burgate just 20 minutes after Queen Camilla departed the city following a visit to unveil a statue in the high street on February 25.

Our reporter was also twice more granted access to the restricted zone by the council’s control room staff, who monitor the bollard sites using CCTV cameras - but this time he was at least required to provide brief cover stories.

On the first occasion, he passed through Burgate at 10.14am on February 4 after telling the operator he had a package to drop off at a house.

On the second, at 4.28pm on February 12, he was allowed through the same location in his Seat hatchback while purporting to be a Tesco delivery driver.

Such visits, if authentic, are permitted before 10.30am and after 4pm, but there was no requirement to pre-book the entry or provide a name, registration number or destination address to the intercom operator.

Critics argue the lack of such checks makes the system futile, with anyone able to gain entry by merely stating one of the permitted reasons for access.

But the council has defended allowing our reporter into the zone a second and third time, saying he gave “perfectly legitimate” reasons for entry during the hours in question.

‘Failing in duty to protect people’

A counter-terrorism expert who fears more hostile vehicle attacks will be carried out in the UK believes the security measures in Canterbury need to be urgently tightened up.

Chris Philips, the former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, says having a system in place that is not effective “defeats the object” of having it.

“Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent on these hostile vehicle mitigation measures to keep crowds safe. If they’re not being used properly, then it’s a complete and utter waste of time and money,” he told KentOnline.

“The concern is that if someone wanted to carry out an attack—whether by knocking people over or delivering a bomb—this would be an easy opportunity.

“The chance of Canterbury itself being attacked is low, but the chance of a terrorist attack happening somewhere is high. If you’ve spent all this money, you might as well use the equipment properly.

“The whole point of having these measures is to deter an attack. If terrorists see the bollards consistently down, it could encourage them to target that site.”

Mr Phillips - a specialist in counter-terrorism advice and best practice - highlights how in other places ineffective security measures have led to hostile vehicle attacks.

On New Year’s Day, a pick-up truck was driven into a crowd in New Orleans, killing 14 people and injuring 37.

Bollards had previously been deployed to stop vehicles from entering the French Quarter, where the attack happened, but had been removed after frequently malfunctioning. They were in the process of being replaced at the time of the tragedy.

Other high-profile locations previously targeted include London Bridge, where eight people died and dozens were injured after a van drove into pedestrians in 2017. Following the tragedy, the UK government introduced more robust vehicle barriers at key sites across the country to prevent similar incidents.

But Mr Phillips argues Canterbury’s bollard system is failing, leaving the city vulnerable.

Mr Phillips said: “The bollards in Canterbury were installed for full-time use but aren’t in operation full-time. Occasionally, you might get one break down, but when they’re frequently down, it renders them ineffective.

“We saw exactly this in New Orleans, where bollards that should have been in place weren’t, and terrorists exploited the weakness.”

While the council has defended allowing our reporter into the prohibited zone using cover stories, Mr Phillips says the restrictions need to be much more robust.

“This is exactly how terrorists operate, using deception to gain entry,” he said.

“Other security systems, like car parks, don’t let you in or out without proper validation. If car parks can do it, why can’t a security system designed to protect people’s lives?

“For something like Tesco deliveries, they should have to book in advance. Supermarkets know their routes and schedules, so their vehicles could be pre-approved via ANPR or another security check.

“If you recognise a risk and take action but don’t follow through, you’re failing in your duty to protect people. Either implement a system that works or don’t bother at all.”

Mr Phillips believes highlighting the issues is the best way to ensure effective action is taken.

“This situation is often mirrored in other locations, and identifying weaknesses like this helps remind those in positions of responsibility to remain alert and vigilant,” he said.

“Terrorists are the ones who chose their targets and all we can do is deter them. Good security is a deterrent, good security done badly does the opposite.

“This should be a wake-up call to Canterbury City Council to use the resources they have properly. It may well save lives.”

‘It’s so easily abused’

Local traders in the city centre were also quick to pick holes in the bollards system and the seemingly relaxed procedures in place.

Keith Martin, who runs Maria’s coffee lounge in St Peter’s Street, says more probing questions should be asked of every driver, with vehicle registrations checked.

“If you can just say ‘I’m Jack Doors going to a shop’ and there is no way of checking that, what is the point of them?” he said.

“They should’ve at least asked you what you were doing to add another layer of security.”

Business owner Zoe Brear agrees the system is “so easily abused”.

“There doesn’t seem to be any checking that you’re doing what you say you’re doing,” the 47-year-old said.

“They take your word for it, so anybody could say ‘I’m delivering to a shop’.”

Samantha Wood, the social media manager at Whirligig Toys in Sun Street, says vehicles routinely pass through the automated bollard locations when they are down for extended periods.

“We often see random people coming down at different times of the day who have gained access somehow,” the 36-year-old said.

Canterbury’s Conservative leader, Rachel Carnac, has called for the issues and existing procedures to be urgently addressed.

“The system needs reviewing and restricting so that only those vehicles that should gain access do gain it,” she said. “It only needs one rogue vehicle.

“I am also concerned because this scheme was at great expense to taxpayers and there were questions at the time about whether this was necessary.

“As we were advised to implement this to protect citizens, it needs to work correctly and be fit for purpose.

“This needs a proper investigation, and the system needs to be fixed rapidly so that it functions as it should.”

‘Legitimate reasons’

The city council says the bollards system was installed to protect the city 24 hours a day, but especially during the busier, more restricted hours of 10.30am and 4pm.

"Certain categories of people are allowed access outside of those hours and that is when your reporter visited on all three occasions,” he said.

“On the last two, he gave perfectly legitimate reasons for entry into the city.

“And on the type of vehicle he used, it is important to say that these days, deliveries can be made by all different types of vehicles, from cars and vans to mopeds and bikes. A delivery does not necessarily take place in a large, branded vehicle any more.

“Having said that, we are hugely disappointed and sorry a member of our team did not follow the correct procedures when allowing access through the bollards on your reporter's first visit.

“We are grateful to KentOnline for putting our systems to the test. It is the perfect opportunity to remind everyone of the rules.”

Racking up the costs

While issues with the bollards persist, with at least one site out of action on Friday afternoon, the cost to taxpayers of keeping the system operational continues to increase.

Figures obtained by KentOnline reveal the council has spent £80,000 on maintenance alone since 2023 - compared to a total of £39,600 across the three years before.

Almost £20,000 has also been spent on repairs, with the bollards often damaged by vehicles attempting to tailgate through the entry points.

Our findings show that between January 2021 and October last year, there had been 292 reported collisions with the posts.

Pictures of cars impaled by the bollards have been commonplace, with the city council saying 80% of the incidents were because of tailgating.

It says the remaining collisions were caused by impatient drivers attempting to pass over the bollards before they were fully lowered.

Since they were installed, 10 motorists have made compensation claims for the damage caused, but none have been successful.

CCC leader Alan Baldock (Lab) and Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield (Ind) were both asked to comment on our findings but did not respond. Kent Police declined to comment.