A COUNCIL leader stepped in to ensure a footpath was repaired after reading about the 'bad memories' of a tourist who was passed between councils after tripping over.

Wycombe District Council Leader Cllr Lesley Clarke said she was “saddened” to read about the “bad memories” of visitor Kathryn Edwards in the Bucks Free Press.

Ms Edwards wrote to the BFP after she tripped on an uneven footpath between the Wycombe Swan and the High Street, breaking her glasses and suffering minor injuries in the fall.

The 70-year-old New Zealand resident hit out at WDC and Buckinghamshire County Council after she was passed between the authorities for almost two months, after council bosses could not agree whose responsibility the path was.

But following Mrs Edwards' letter, WDC moved quickly to repair the footpath.

In a letter to the BFP, Cllr Clarke said: “As the local district councillor and a county councillor, I was saddened to read of Ms Edwards' experience in High Wycombe.

“I would like to confirm to Kathryn Edwards, and to your readers, that we have taken action. The footway has been repaired.

“We have spoken to staff at Wycombe District Council and Buckinghamshire County Council to try to ensure that in future, enquiries are dealt with by the right people and within a decent time scale.

“Wycombe and the surrounding area have plenty to offer visitors, with plenty to see and do and plenty to enjoy.

“I hope that despite the "bad memories" she has written about in her letter, the remainder of Kathryn Edwards' stay in our district is a positive one and that she returns home with some very good memories of Wycombe.”

Ms Edwards jetted out of the country on Friday and was unavailable for comment.