A WOMAN narrowly missed being hit by a car as she smashed her face on the road after tripping over a damaged bollard.

Julie Heighes, 65, stumbled over a bollard outside a parade of shops in North Street, Rochford, and fell into the road. Medics initially feared she had a broken neck.

The bollard was damaged after being struck by a car at Christmas and its stump remains protruding from the pavement.

Husband Dennis Heighes, 71, of The Drive, Rochford, told how a passing car had to break to avoid his wife as she fell.

He said: “I’ve reported it to the council but got little response and as far as I’m aware it is still there. Julie is badly bruised and grazed but luckily her neck is not broken.

“Everyone was really good and rallied round to help us. I took her to Southend Hospital myself. At that point I didn’t know she had so much pain in her neck but afterwards when I found out it could have been broken I realised I should have called an ambulance. The doctors immediately put her in a neck brace.

“She still has a lot of pain and a black eye and she can’t lift her right leg. She is going to have to have a lot of physiotherapy but it could have been worse.

“She really scraped her face on the road but the driver of the car was very good. He came to an absolute stop as she fell in front of the car. He stopped dead.”

The incident took place on Tuesday. The couple have since been in touch with Essex County Council about the bollard.

Mr Heighes added: “I don’t know if the bollard has been reported to the council before but they aren’t doing much now. I know one of the shops puts an A-board over it to stop people tripping on it.

“I was told by everyone I spoke to that a car crashed into the bollard at Christmas and its been like that with a stump sticking up a few inches, ever since then. How long would it take to undo four screws and take the remains of the bollard out?”

Mrs Heighes is now recovering at home. She said: “I feel a bit shaken up but very lucky it wasn’t worse.

“If I was older I could have broken a hip or worse. There are a lot of very elderly people around here. There are a lot of care homes and it would have been far worse for the people who live in them.”

A spokesman for Essex Highways told the Echo: “We are aware of the issue with this bollard and it has been flagged for repair.”