Support for call to jazz up Sheffield city centre blocksÂ

Sheffield City Council is encouraging people to get creative and come up with concepts for the grey anti-terror blocks designed to keep shoppers safe outside the Town Hall and along Pinstone Street.

A number of Star readers spoke of their support for the scheme and highlighted how this follows similar successful competitions to add more festive cheer to other city centres in Hull and London.

Posting on Facebook, Emma Darwent said: 'Turn them into massive Christmas parcels with ribbon and bows.'

Jordan Power added: 'Just stick a bow on them', while Shelley Gott believes they should be turned into 'presents all wrapped up.'

Other readers called for city school children to be given the honour of coming up with the designs.

Sammie May said: 'How about different schools designing something and chose one winner from every school which has competed in doing the designs?'

Kerry Allen agreed and posted: 'Every school in Sheffield to take part, charge 50p for entries to cover the costs then each school can pick a winner and print them on each side.'

Meanwhile, John Wragg would like to see them resemble 'rubix cubes.'

Five designs will be chosen and printed onto covers which will be placed on the blocks.

The council has loaned them so they cannot paint directly onto them. 

Richard Eyre, head of city centre and major events, said they estimate the total cost of printing the covers to be around £2,800.

Councillor Jim Steinke, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and community safety, said the blocks will be up until the second week of January and the designs will be reused in the future.

He added: 'It's a sad state of affairs that we need to have them but if we have to then we may as well jazz them up a bit.'