CAMPAIGNERS are calling for urgent repairs after a resident was forced to miss her holiday when she tripped on loose paving slabs near Colchester Bus Station.

Charlotte Martin was walking past the bus station, in Osborne Street, when she fell, injuring her hips and arm.

Clinicians said she needed a precautionary X-ray and as she did not have time to be seen before her flight, she had to pull out of her trip abroad.

Now, Ms Martin, of Castle Road, Colchester, is calling for urgent repairs to be made so no-one else is hurt.

She said: “I was caught completely unawares by the paving in this area and before I knew it, I was falling.

“Luckily I didn’t knock hit my head on the ground but I have done damage to my hips and my arm.

“One person sitting at the bus station said they had seen three other people also trip over the pavement here.”

Ms Martin has not made a compensation claim against Essex County Council but wants to see repairs made to the path.

She said: “All I want to see is this pavement fixed and for no-one else to hurt themselves. Me taking money away from the council in a claim will only mean less money to repair the pavements.”

Gazette:

Campaigner Alan Short, a friend of Ms Martin, contacted county councillor Lee Scordis (Lab, Abbey) to ask if he could lobby County Hall.

Mr Scordis said: “I am furious to see another resident in Colchester injure themselves on dangerous pavements which have been reported time and time again.

“After the accident they have merely spray painted a bit of orange around some of the slabs - not even all of the dangerous ones.

“This should have been addressed immediately.

“Highways state they prioritise defects in areas with a high footfall but if they are neglecting the area outside the bus station then they are failing.”

A spokesman for Essex Highways said a date for repair work was to be confirmed in “the near future”.

He continued: “Our local highway inspector will now urgently re-visit the area to check on the slabs and if necessary instigate urgent repair work should any have got significantly worse since the last detailed inspection on June 7.

“Because the bus station is heavily used during the day, any work completed will be done at night. We wish the lady a quick recovery.”