A TAVISTOCK resident is seeking compensation after his car tyre was damaged by one of the posts in the Bedford Car installed to deter anti-social behaviour at night.

Tony Newell said he happened to steer, inadvertently, too close to one of the anti-joyriding posts, and it caused a five-inch cut in his nearly new tyre.

'I had missed the post but the tyre was ripped open on the poorly designed base unit of the post,' he said.

'In my opinion all of these should be modified, with the sharp corners removed, because a further tyre could be torn open, or someone might rip their foot open just as easily.'

A spokeswoman from West Devon Borough Council said the posts were installed following complaints from the community about anti-social behaviour involving some young drivers accelerating around the area.

'They have proved effective in helping to deter this kind of behaviour,' she said. 'We are sorry to hear about Mr Newell's accident and will be speaking to him about what happened. If appropriate, Mr Newell will be able to make a claim to our insurers.'

She said Mr Newell's complaint was the only one the authority had received about the structures.

'The bollards are made by a leading national company and used across the UK. We will examine the base of the posts to see if any improvements can be made.

'In the longer term, we are planning to reconfigure the layout of the car park to further discourage anti-social behaviour.'