AT more than £1,100 each, are these four seats the most expensive public benches in Bournemouth?

The four individual seats were installed on Richmond Hill as part of the £384,000 Three Towns Travel scheme to improve the route into the town centre.

But it's the price tag attached to them that has raised eyebrows. In total, the four single seats cost a whopping £4,427.40 to buy and install, yet a quick internet search of street furniture suppliers reveals a basic bench would have cost around £200.

Dia Chakravarty, political director at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Taxpayers are right to question if this can possibly be the best use of their money. These seats seem like an unfortunate triumph of style over substance at hard-pressed taxpayers' expense.

"Councils need to be much smarter when making spending decisions, particularly at a time when the public sector is having to find necessary savings and families are having to budget hard."

Cllr Anne Rey, Independent councillor for Throop and Muscliff, said: "It's a lot of money for what it is. Surely we would have been better off with benches like we have elsewhere?

"I would rather we had installed benches and saved money - there are no end of things we could have spent the difference on. To be honest, I think the whole Richmond Hill scheme has been a waste of time."

Ian Kalra, head of transportation services at Bournemouth council, said; “The Three Towns Travel improvements on Richmond Hill included extensive work to revitalise the area and create a more vibrant welcome to the town centre.

"The new benches, which cost £4,427.40, were delivered as part of a high quality enhancement of the area to make it more attractive for the many people who use it every day.

"This cost includes all aspects of supply and installation with the requirement for a large concrete foundation which is now hidden beneath the footway surfacing’’