A woman from High Wycombe has accused Buckinghamshire Council of not prioritising making pavements safe and accessible to disabled people.

Marian O’Rourke said she noticed the bad state of the town’s dropped pavements while on a walk with a friend who uses a wheelchair and who struggled to mount the roadside because of its worn and uneven structure.

Speaking to the Free Press, the pensioner, who lives in Hazlemere, said: “I think it’s a very important issue. I’ve noticed how bad the pavements are, but my friend who is in a wheelchair obviously finds it even worse.

“They’re very dangerous for anyone who is disabled, walks with a stick or has bad eyesight, or even a mother with a pushchair.

“I know the roads are bad, especially with potholes, but pavements need attention too.”

She said another friend, whose disability meant he had to travel around in a motorised scooter, regularly drives on the road because he finds it too difficult to mount the town's pedestrian walkways.

"He was no licence or helmet, and I think it's really dreadful. There's no safety and nothing to stop a car from hitting you.

"Whenever I walk along the pavement, I'm looking down all the time because I've already fallen over once or twice near where I live.

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"I think the council treat the problem the same way they do with potholes - by doing a patch here and there, but not enough to make a proper difference. I know it's probably down to underfunding, but I don't want to let the state of our pavements be swept under the carpet.

"So many of the people I know who are affected by it just don't want to complain or speak out, and someone has to."

A spokesperson for the council denied that there was a wider problem with pavement surfaces in the area.

They said: “Footways in Wycombe Town Centre are regularly inspected as part of our Highways Safety Inspection Policy.

“However, if people come across any uneven footway surfaces in the town, they should report these to us via FixMyStreet. This will enable us to investigate and take appropriate action if needed.

“This year alone, Buckinghamshire Council will spend over £2 million on footway improvements within our capital programme, including resurfacing as well as smaller repairs to footway defects that have been identified through inspections.”