CAMPAIGNERS are calling for action to repair “dangerous” paving slabs after a pensioner had to undergo a hip replacement after falling on cracked pavement.

Katie Palmer, 73, on January 31, tripped over an unkept walkway near her house on Waltham Way in Frinton.

The accident was so serious she had to be taken to hospital by ambulance and had to undergo emergency hip replacement surgery. 

Richard Everett, who is currently running a Safer Pavements in Frinton campaign, said: "This pavement defect was lethal and was one where Essex County Council, despite knowing about the defect for three years, did nothing about it.

"Nothing that is until the day after Katie’s fall when they filled it in – replacing the missing pavement with tarmac.”

Safer Pavements Campaign is collecting records of potentially dangerous pavement defects in Frinton and is actively looking for cases to mark for future improvements.

Mrs Palmer said: “It appears the only way Essex Highways will repair pavements when someone is seriously injured by them – a disgusting situation.

"Frinton has one of the highest concentrations of elderly people in Essex, with attendant mobility issues, and the state of the pavements is horrible for regular people, but even more hazardous for people like me to get around.”

Mr Everett is urging Mrs Palmer to take legal action against Essex Highways.

The Safer Pavements campaign said it will cost Essex Highways more to have regular claims made against them than it would cost to repair the pavements.

A spokesperson for Essex Highways, said: "We are sorry to hear about the resident’s fall and hope they made a speedy recovery.

“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. Once an inspection had taken place on this defect, it was made safe.”

Currently, there are 43 sites which have been identified in the area as awaiting repair.