Or is that in the middle of the road?

Traders and motorists in Layton are being driven mad by the latest items of street furniture installed by Blackpool Council.

On Westcliffe Drive, between two lanes of busy traffic, highways bosses have installed several sets of benches.

But the question on everyone's lips around Layton is who will want to sit there?

Among those bemused by the appearance of the benches is Michael Barlow, who runs KC's Cafe in Westcliffe Drive and is chairman of the Layton Traders Association.

He said: "I'm not annoyed by the work – most of it looks great. The trees are nice and the pavements. But the benches don't seem to have been thought out properly. It isn't the best idea in the world, is it? Who is going to want to sit in between two lanes of traffic?"

Mr Barlow is worried the benches might actually pose a danger to the public.

He said: "We've got schoolchildren crossing the road to sit out there. It's only going to take one car coming down the hill and going out of control and somebody is going to be seriously hurt or killed."

Motorist John Miller, from Holmfield Road in St Annes, couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the new fittings.

He said: "It looked like they were bolting seats in the middle of the road. It's like a pedestrian zone but with a lane of traffic on either side.

"The new traffic system is bad enough, causing congestion, but this just seems crazy."

Cath Hurley, from Ragamuffins in Westcliffe Drive, was equally bemused. She said: "It isn't like you're going to take your kids out there in the pram and eat ice-cream.

"Somebody at the council really doesn't know what they're doing.

"The only people we're going to have sitting there are drunks and drug users. Those are just the people we have succeeded in getting out of the area."

Carol Bracegirdle, from the council's travel and road safety unit, said: "The benches are being installed as part of the Layton Improvement District project, which is a brand new remodelled community with a 20mph zone with shared facilities for all road users.

"We appreciate it's a significant change of ethos for residents and the community, although we're hoping people will open their minds to the culture changes.

"When I was on site earlier I was pleased to see people sat on the benches reading their newspapers and eating their lunch and there was a really pleasant atmosphere about the place and traffic was much slower than it's ever been.

"We encourage people to join us on the Layton Fun Day on Saturday June 2 to see for themselves and seek out road safety staff if they have any concerns.

"We will be monitoring the changes and welcome all feedback from the public."