High Street is a trip hazard with eyesore repairs, LibDem Councillor David Kendall says £11 million work now neglected

A Brentwood councillor has questioned the state of the pavement on the town's High Street and believes the failure to maintain it is causing a serious trip hazard.

Liberal Democrat David Kendall, who sits on Essex Country Council for Brentwood South and Brentwood Borough Council for Pilgrims Hatch, has called on Essex Highways to solve the problem.

The High Street underwent an extensive refurbishment several years ago, but the councillor says the authority is failing to properly maintain it.

As a result, he says it has become both a trip hazard, but also an eyesore.

"Conservative controlled Essex County Council spent over £11 million refurbishing Brentwood High Street some years ago, but they are failing to maintain it properly", said Cllr Kendall.

"There are many loose paving slabs along the High Street that represent a serious trip hazard particularly for the elderly".

"Where utility work has been done we have often been left with repairs that are an eyesore like those outside Oxfam shop and some of the block paving around Wilsons Corner is very uneven".

"Brentwood residents and visitors to our town deserve much better, so I will keep on calling for Essex Highways to spend the time and the money to provide the safer environment we need"

Pictures from the High Street taken last week show the repair work done to the pavement outside the Oxfam shop.

The Pavement has been filled in with tarmac instead of paving stones, creating what the councillor believes is an eyesore.

Uneven

A spokesperson for Essex Highways said: "Our highways inspector walks the High Street in Brentwood every month, the last inspection on 31 July picked up some cracked and slightly uneven paving and this will be monitored with repairs made as appropriate".

"Far from neglecting the area, crews carried out pavement repairs this year on 28 February, 29 March, 19 April, 26 April, 3 and 4 May, 15 July, 20 July and 2 August as well as replacing damaged pedestrian guard rails on 19 April.

"Make-safe repairs to paving with tarmac is an efficient, safe way to repair paving - pending permanent replacement in due course".