A FELLED pillar is causing concern for people living close to Lancaster City's Giant Axe football ground.

The club removed one of two pillars at the entrance to the ground, which is close to two conservation areas, for safety reasons earlier this year.

They fear that the pillar will make it difficult to get large coaches bringing visiting fans on to the car park.

Since then the pillar has been left on its side in the club's car park, a situation which is now being looked into by the council's estates department.

That part of the Giant Axe site is leased from the city council, and councillors want the club to take action to keep the pillar in place.

Ward councillor Jon Barry says he wants the pillar replaced in order to maintain the appearance of the area around the ground.

He said: "There are some nice buildings on West Road and the football club entrance is near to the Castle and Westfield Village conservation areas.

"The entrance pillars are fine pieces of stone and I want them to remain there. Of course, if the football club want to widen the entrance to allow coaches in, that is fair enough -- but I'd still like any new entrance to include the pillars."

However, city's commercial director, Bill Byrne, said that the club would not be putting the pillar back for safety reasons.

He said: "The idea is to remove the base of that pillar completely. It is not going to be destroyed, it will be kept on the site for posterity.

"We intend to use one pillar at the entrance now so it will not look out of place, and we have talked to the council's planning department, who say it will look fine.

"It's quite dangerous at the moment to try and get a large coach in, and coaches now are getting bigger."