Fishergate bollard seen out of position Pic: David Shelstone

There were gasps of horror as what’s fast becoming a Preston landmark was found down a side street after becoming dislodged.

Fishergate Bollard, which has a rapidly expanding social media presence, was once again sent flying by a motorist.

The plinth-like feature was found a fair way from his usual lookout at the junction of Corporation Street and Fishergate during the course of Monday morning.

Rumours circulated on social media that the stone had been stolen, as on Sunday drivers reported seeing the Fishergate layout without the familiar feature.

The scene on Monday afternoon

The incident is one in a long line of crashes which have seen the bollard toppled, and then regenerated in Dr Who-style fashion.

Read more: Someone has set up a Twitter account for the Fishergate Bollard

The bollard itself has taken to Twitter to state it is once again missing in action, and channelled the spirit of Liam Neeson’s series of Taken films.

I'm missing again, and there's only one man who can help..#wheresbollard pic.twitter.com/RRAduK7d31

— Fishergate Bollard (@FishergateBllrd) October 9, 2016

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Lancashire County Council has recently announced an eight-point plan to ease traffic congestion in the city centre – but whether it will stop the Fishergate bollard from rolling remains to be seen.

Highway network manager for the county council Daniel Herbert said: “We’re aware that the bollard is not in place and we’ll be putting it back again. We’re currently looking into what happened to it.”

What do you think about the bollard and Fishergate layout? Let us know in the comments below