Narrow pavement endangers residents - councillor

Cllr Heather Kidd, with resident Colin Stegman, standing in front of the pavement

A Shropshire councillor says residents "take their lives in their own hands" when they walk on a narrow village pavement.

Cllr Heather Kidd, Lib Dem member for Worthen and Chirbury, said the pavement, which links Worthen's doctor’s surgery and primary school, is too small with no safe place to cross.

The pavement is about 70cm (27.5 inches) wide, but residents claim it is even smaller because of debris from hedge-cutting.

Shropshire Council said a meeting to discuss the concerns would be held next week.

The footpath has been the scene of one pedestrian death and several injuries in recent years, it was claimed.

Cllr Kidd said Shropshire Council had ignored the dangers of the footpath.

"I have been campaigning to improve a number of danger spots on our roads," Cllr Kidd told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"In their latest ‘Place Plan’, Shropshire Council has addressed issues at two, but has ignored the most dangerous site – the narrow pavement in the centre of Worthen that has claimed one life already."

Eighty-nine-year-old resident Colin Stegman said he had been involved in two accidents on the narrow path.

In one of the incidents, he said he was hit by the wing mirror of a lorry.

"They [residents] have to think very hard about whether they’re going to be safe getting to the shop and back again," said Cllr Kidd.