Relief after metal bar removed from town’s famous hole

Imagine – you go all the way to the East Midlands to see a cult favourite landmark.

But you arrive there and see that it’s been altered forever.

That’s exactly what happened to fans of the NatWest hole – the number 1 tourist attraction in the Derbyshire town of Ilkestone.

The hole first received acclaim in 2018 after receiving glowing write-ups, with people saying they’d had ‘A hole lot of fun’ at the spot and it should be declared the ‘Eighth wonder’ of the world.

But on Monday, a bar appeared screwed into the hole, leaving its fans furious and devastated.

Maggie Taylor, from Ilkeston, described the addition of the bar as ‘awful’ and said people in the town had been “up in arms” on social media.

What did they do it in the first place for, because it’s been like that for years,’ she told the BBC. ‘Just doesn’t comprehend does it?’

Ken and Sue Elber, also from Ilkeston, said the bar being placed across the hole was ‘completely and utterly stupid’.

‘I’m relieved, said Ken, on seeing the bar being swiftly removed. ‘Children love that hole.’

Reviews on Trip Advisor were also left saddened by the news, with one writing: ‘RIP hole in the wall… Thousands of times a year young children wanted to climb through this. And now some muppet decided it needs blocking off.’

Another reviewer, named Robert, added: ‘I went on my annual pilgrimage to this treasured landmark. To my dismay I find a metal bar has been installed within the diameter. Why has this architectural masterpiece that has been respected and loved for decades by people near and far ended up this way?’

But following the uproar, the bar was swiftly removed, with a NatWest spokesperson stating it was removed as ‘customer and community feedback is very important to us’.

According to the Derby Telegraph, the unusual feature was apparently designed as a security measure in the 1990s to prevent thieves from stealing from people withdrawing cash from the ATM.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@usnewsrank.com.

For more stories like this, check our news page.