Walking along a High Wycombe road is “treacherous” because of uneven pavements and broken street lamps, the town mayor has said.

Cllr Brian Pearce says he is concerned about the street lighting in John Hall Way because there are around 14 lamp posts not working and coupled with fallen branches and bumpy pavements, makes it difficult for pedestrians to walk safely.

The Booker and Cressex councillor said the problem is mainly from the large roundabout at the junction with Holmers Farm Way and the Cressex Link Road to the Turnpike roundabout.

He said: “The situation here is exasperated because all the street lights are on one side of the road, the left hand side travelling towards the Turnpike.

“The pavement is actually substantially lower than the road surface. There are also trees on one side of the pavement which are very high - they are also very tall fir trees which means that very little light can penetrate their foliage to fall upon the pavement.

“There are additionally the trees roots under the surface of the pavement which makes it uneven. Often additionally, particularly with the high winds we have just experienced, fallen branches tend to accumulate upon the path itself.

“All of the above renders walking along this highway somewhat treacherous. We are encouraged to walk as much as possible and yet in walking this particular stretch of path, one is effectively risking ones limbs.”

The mayor said the situation was “ludicrous and deplorable”, especially with many elderly residents living in nearby Nancy Hall Court, and had previously reported the broken lights in November.

He added: “Local residents should be encouraged to walk to the superstores of Next, Asda and John Lewis and yet in this instance it could prove to be a very precarious journey.

“Also of course, there is the security concern - an unlit, lonely path is a concern for pedestrians everywhere.”

A TfB spokesman said the problems were caused by an underground cable fault and that Scottish and Southern Electric were aware of the issue.

They said: “As the electricity supply is owned and maintained by Scottish and Southern Electric (SSE) this had been passed to them for repair.

“Due to the nature of the problem it proved to be difficult to locate however, after several visits by SSE we are pleased to be able to inform you that the supply has been restored and the lights should be working this evening.

“There is a single lantern that is currently not working, this has been added to our work schedule and will be attended to in the very near future by SSE. 

“The issues mentioned regarding the tall trees and the uneven footway had not previously been reported to TfB, and so we were unaware of them.

“Cllr Pearce has now been contacted and is satisfied that there is no longer an issue with the pavements or surrounding foliage.”