Mistley mobility scooter rider’s plea on overgrown footpaths (From Gazette)

Mistley mobility scooter rider’s plea on overgrown footpaths

2:00pm Friday 31st August 2012 in News By Helen Barnett

A GRANDMOTHER had to “take her life in her hands” and drive her mobility scooter in the road as footpaths have become overgrown with nettles.

Pamela Bootyman, 66, of Victoria Crescent, Mistley, said there was only three inches of footpath clear of nettles down the New Road footpath, near Mistley Place Park, when she went out.

She moved her scooter on to the road and said a car came up behind her and, thankfully, was travelling slowly.

Pamela, who suffers arthritis in her knee, has also struggled with her two-year-old grandaughter Amelia Martin, who she had to push in her pram into the road.

“It was worrying, the fact I was on my scooter and on my own,” she said. “I had to get across the road because I couldn’t travel on the footpath.

A car travelled up behind me, thankfully not at speed, because he couldn’t see me as much as I couldn’t see him. I had to take my life in my hands.

“I know other people have complained to councils about this, too. “It is just not good enough. You can’t expect traffic to slow down and get out of the way, because you shouldn’t be there anyway.”

An Essex County Council spokesperson said: “Maintaining the county’s public rights of way is a priority for the council and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“This site was last cut in late June-early July. We will be returning to do a second cut in due course.

“But we are currently still completing our county-wide first cut in other districts. The programme has been delayed due to wet weather.”