Ipswich portal turned off after being damaged by vehicle

Ipswich Borough Council have said they "hope to have the portal back in action by this weekend" following the accidental damage caused to the base and not the portal itself.

This comes only weeks after business owners complained that the installation was causing chaos for deliveries, taking up a significant portion of the Cornhill market square.

A portion of the portal plinth was damaged by a vehicle (Image: Oli Picton)

Barriers were spotted against the back of the portal earlier this week, with a small chunk of the base visibly cracked.

Ipswich Borough Council have said the repairs are minor, but it was deemed necessary to switch off the portal to isolate the supply of electricity.

An Ipswich Borough Council spokesperson said: “We are currently carrying out necessary repairs to the Portal's plinth and the lighting on the base, following accidental damage caused by a vehicle on the Cornhill.

Ipswich Borough Council have confirmed that the portal has been turned off whilst repairs take place (Image: Oli Picton)

"Due to work on the lighting, the electricity supply was required to be isolated for safety and there is no damage to the Portal itself.  We hope to have the Portal back in action by this weekend if the works are completed.”

The portal, which was unveiled in October, is set up as a window on the Cornhill to connect Ipswich with countries around the world.

However, the installation of the portal, as well as new bollards, has led to delivery vehicles finding it trickier to navigate the area.

One business owner said: "Now they've installed the portal and these bollards, it's a tight squeeze to get vehicles through the Cornhill.

"Especially on market days the gap between the stalls and the portal makes it difficult."

Ipswich was chosen as the first place in UK to have a portal, which connects to other installations in Philadelphia, Dublin and others and will exclusive rights to the portal for the first year.