Road officials in Hull, UK, are replacing all traditional and internally illuminated bollards with solar powered versions.

It is the first time a council in the UK has undertaken such an initiative.

The Hull City Council said studies showed that as much as £43,000 in savings could be achieved each year with a £10,000 saving from the cost of lamps, £800 savings on repairs and £25,000 in energy.

The cost of replacement could be as much as £200,000 but the city says it believes this will pay for itself in savings within four to five years or even sooner if energy costs in the UK continue rise.

Hull team manger for highways and street lighting John Harland said the overriding justification for converting to solar is a return on investment that can be quickly recovered with savings seen year on year.

“The last time we needed to get power to an illuminated board it cost £8,000 plus the inconvenience of traffic congestion to road users,” Harland said.

The device chosen by the council is the TMP Heritage flexible bollard, which was chosen because of its safety, zero emissions, easy surface mounting and low maintenance features.

80 TMP bollards were trialled by the council last year and were found to be sturdy, safe and resistant to vandalism.