A grandmother of seven from Harpenden says the pavement outside her home is so bad she walks on the other side of the road.
Mavis Hamilton, 82, who lives on Bowers Way, has narrowly avoided serious injury a couple of times after tripping on the pavement.
The retired lecturer said: “The even side of the road has been surfaced, but our side of the road is a patchwork.
“A lot of people surfaced their driveways, but the rest is what is believed to be the original paving material.
“It’s broken up, it’s very patchy, and there are holes all the way along.
“I walk on the other side of the road as I cannot walk on my own side.”
There are also clumps of weeds growing out of the pavement, creating further trip hazards.
Bowers Way sits between High Street and the railway station, so is often very busy.
But she has little choice but to cross, especially after she fell over when her mobility trolley was caught on a bump in July.
On a separate occasion, she only avoided injury after tripping on the pavement because her friend grabbed her by the arm.
Dr Hamilton has reported the problem to the council, and has been lead to believe repairs will be made.
A Hertfordshire County Council spokesperson said: “We have received one report of a trip hazard in Bowers Way this year. In response, the footway was inspected but did not meet the council’s criteria for an urgent repair.
“All of our footways are inspected on a regular basis and any defects are noted. As we only have a limited budget for repairs, we have to prioritise based on a number of criteria.”
Herts county council spends around £100 million on highways - including pavements - every year.
They includes £70 million which they spend on capital projects such as new roads or improvements to existing roads, such as new streetlights, or speed bumps.
This is more than will be spent on capital projects for any other portfolio area, such as education and skills, adult social care, and community safety.
Highways’ capital budget is due to rise to £98 million in 2018/19, and £71 million 2019/20.
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