Bye bye pagodas! Oriental-style seating removed from Luton town centre

The oriental-style seating areas were a prominent fixture in George Street and were regularly used by groups of people socialising.

However, due to their enclosed nature, they have been removed in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

A Luton Borough Council spokesman said: "We are working hard with our partners to ensure the safe reopening of the town centre and putting appropriate measures in place to protect people’s health and give them confidence to visit and shop in a safe environment.

"This involves making some changes to the street furniture.

"The pagodas were initially fenced off and have now been removed as that particular seating was difficult to use whilst respecting the social distancing guidance.

"We are now working to maximise the space available for safe social distanced movement around the town centre and while the pagodas have been removed we have ensured that there is still plenty of seating available for visitors."