ANGERED residents have voiced their concerns regarding ‘dangerous’ pavements after elderly victims suffered falls and injuries.

Pavements in Frinton with missing pieces and deep ditches have caused councillors to speak out.

Severe incidents include a resident falling in Raglan Road resulting in severe bruising, a finger injury and the victim being rendered unconscious for ten minutes in the carriageway.

Another incident in Frinton Esplanade resulted in the victim suffering a serious facial injury, and last month another fell outside M & M Pharmacy in Connaught Avenue leaving them hospitalised for three weeks.

Terry Allen, Frinton and Walton mayor, called on Essex County Council to do more about the situation.

He said: “I think it's terrible residents have to go through this.

"The county council needs to get their priorities in order as this is about the safety of our residents.

“Potholes always undergo piecemeal repairs and it’s the same for pavements, the council seems to be spending money hand over fist elsewhere and not focusing on residents' safety.

“It’s always the vulnerable that suffer the most, if an elderly person falls there’s always a severe injury and a long hospitalisation after which is unacceptable.”

Richard Everett, former Tendring councillor, met with Essex County Council leader Kevin Bentley in December to discuss the issue and his since written an open letter.

He said: “[Mr Bentley] assured me that pavements that are dangerous in Frinton would be repaired.

“I remain committed to reducing cost to the public purse at the same time as using council tax-payers scarce resources effectively and efficiently for the public good.

“This cannot however be at the cost of residents being injured while using [these] dangerous pavements.”

An Essex Highways spokesperson said: “Councillor Bentley will contact Mr Everett personally about this matter.”

He added: “Essex has over 4,000 miles of footway on its network. In order to maximise our resources, we have to prioritise our work and fix higher-risk issues first.

“All defects reported to us are assessed by an inspector and prioritised accordingly. If a defect is deemed dangerous it will be made safe.

“Residents can let us know about dangerous pavements or roads by using the Essex Highways reporting tool here at essexhighways.org/tell-us."