A POLICE officer was left redfaced after becoming the latest victim of a city’s rising bollard.

The retractable bollard which allows and prevents access to the historic Durham peninsula under the city’s pioneering congestion charge scheme rose up underneath a Durham Police patrol car yesterday lunchtime.

The incident, which happened in full view of shoppers and city visitors enjoying the early summer sunshine, led to the stranded vehicle being towed away by workers from the Fred Henderson recovery firm.

A Durham Police spokeswoman said the incident was reported at 11.46am and slight damage was caused to the car’s front bumper.

The bollard was installed when Durham City introduced a toll charge on October 1, 2002. Drivers are charged £2 for using the road from Market Place to the World Heritage Site of Durham Castle and Cathedral.

The toll was the first introduced in modern Britain, preceding London’s congestion charge by five months.

The scheme helped win Durham County Council a range of awards, including Highways Magazine Excellence Awards’ most innovative authority, and praise from the House of Commons Transport Committee. Officials said it reduced traffic on the narrow and ancient streets of Durham city centre by 85 per cent, while pedestrian use grew by more than a tenth.

In the first two years, the charge generated £78,000 profit, £60,000 of which went to Durham Shopmobility. The remainder went to pay for the Cathedral bus service.

However, the project was controversial from the start.

The rising bollard claimed its first victim within 48 hours, causing £400-worth of damage to a Bishop Auckland painter and decorator’s van.

In two years, 848 people were caught trying to jump the charge – with each ordered to pay a £30 fine.

In February 2004, a businesswoman and her brother suffered whiplash injuries, while driver Nick de Cazenove, visiting from Hertfordshire, claimed the damage to his vehicle cost £6,500 to repair.

In eight years in operation, hundreds of motorists have had cause to curse the congestion charge.

The unfortunate police officer involved yesterday is the latest in a long line of those with moments to forget.