NEW barriers that have appeared overnight outside Windsor Castle are serving as an ugly reminder of the terrifying threat facing ordinary people from terrorists.

The barriers were put up between 9pm and 1am last night, Monday, in Castle Hill and St Albans Street.

Although people who know Windsor have had to get used to ugly HVMMs - hostile vehicle mitigation measures - that have disfigured the town in recent months, the barriers add additional reenforcement as they surround the main entrance to the castle.

The Royal Borough's deputy leader and cabinet member for Windsor, Cllr Phill Bicknell, said the barriers were to stop hostile vehicles veering past Queen Victoria's statue into crowds. The tactic has been deployed by terrorists in recent attacks on London Bridge in the capital and in Barcelona, Spain.

Cllr Bicknell said: "The bottom line is that they were put there to protect the people queueing to get into the castle.

"Police are worried that if they did not put them there a hostile vehicle could take out hundreds of people.

"The existing barriers were designed to protect the bandsmen and guardsmen changing the guard, the new barrier is to protect the public and visitors coming into the town.

"We think once the castle has had alterations done to reception and the entrance then that queue will hopefully dissipate and that would be when we could look at removing those barriers."

He said the Royal Borough had been kept informed but said: "This is not a political thing. The police have intelligence that we don't and this is about public safety."

Windsor Town Centre manager, Paul Roach, said: "It was a late finish, but it was worth it as we needed to get the new measures in and done.

"Letters were sent out on Monday to residents and I contacted businesses via my network as it does not directly impact on them as the barriers are on the opposite pavement.

"We need to be proactive and protect the public."