BURLY Belisha beacons have been installed in Billington by mistake, council chiefs revealed today.

The 15ft black and white striped giants, heralding a new pelican crossing in Whalley New Road, were wrongly installed by Garstang-based contractors C and S and are almost double the normal height.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "The contractor who was carrying out the work made a mistake and installed Belisha beacons that were too high.

"There is nothing wrong with them and they are not dangerous as they are, but they will be replaced as soon as possible."

In June 1998 furious villagers took their fight against traffic calming measures to County Hall in Preston.

They were incensed at plans to introduce traffic calming and parking restrictions on a stretch of Whalley New Road. Highways experts said the proposals were brought in to improve access to an exclusive new housing estate.

But angry residents claimed the new measures would create chaos and stop people parking outside the local post office.

A small group of residents lobbied county councillors at a meeting of the highways and transport general purposes sub-committee.

Objectors also handed in a petition to County Councillor Chris Holtom and several wrote to Lancashire County Council objecting to the move.

Nobody from C and S was available for comment.