Mystery over ‘disgusting’ bollards painted like stubbed-out cigarettes

A set of bollards in Swindon have been ridiculed for looking like a row of cigarettes sticking out of the road.

The orange and white poles appeared in the town in Wiltshire, but the inspiration for their unusual design remains a mystery.

Some have described the three posts on Hythe Road as ‘disgusting’ while other locals praised the artistry.

Online users were divided, with some calling the cigarette bollards ‘funny’ and a ‘brilliant idea’ while others felt they hadn’t added to the area and could even send the wrong message.

One wrote: ‘I hate smoking, but I love these bollards, they made me smile when I saw them.’

‘Looks good, but not really a good advert to discourage kids from smoking’, said another.

Another local suggested: ‘The world is too serious at the moment, what harm is it causing? Maybe the council should focus on fixing the roads before painting the posts!’

Others, while admitting the concept was clever, felt the bollards were not great looking.

A resident posted: ”It’s clever but I don’t think they look great. Seen worse art, but it’s not for me.’

Another simply wrote: ‘Awful.’

Some users suggested the bollards could be the work of a famous graffiti artist with a hidden message.

‘Banksy is on the loose’, one suggested.

But one local said the cigarette poles brought back bad memories.

He wrote: ‘I drive this road most days and every time I see them I’m reminded of my father’s very graphic death (ie non sedated and thrashing around) on a hospital bed. He was a non smoker and died a horrific death of lung cancer due to passive smoking. It’s not a trauma I want to revisit on a daily basis. These need to be removed immediately.’

A spokesperson for Swindon Borough Council said: ‘We love street art in Swindon and this is certainly a very unusual choice of design.’

‘We very much hope that passers-by who have kicked the habit don’t develop old cravings.’

But they added:’We don’t want to stub out the flame of this artist’s creativity, but the artwork obviously doesn’t align with the efforts of our Public Health team to get people to quit smoking.’

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