A Hornsea man says he was forced to walk on a “dangerous” part of the A1035 because the condition of the footpath was a “disgrace”. He said footpath accidents are waiting to happen due to the condition of the path, saying that some of it was underwater, and the rest was not any better.
“It’s a disgrace, had to take to walking on a dangerous part of the road. As footpath was underwater. The rest of the path isn’t any better, almost completely overgrown in parts.”
He said, across the East Riding, the council is responsible for 1,900km of paths and he he has raised the issue with the council in the past.
“I have reported it in the past, nothing came of it. That path is also part of the Hornsea Mere circular walk, meant to be one of the jewels in the crown for Hornsea.
“The road is the A1035, the main road into Hornsea from Beverley, so a busy stretch. So walking or cycling is rather risky due to the bends.
“Maybe if they [the council] were that concerned they should get one of their footpath officers to walk the path.”
A spokesman for East Riding Council said: “The council will investigate this section of footpath for defects and we have asked for the grass to be cut.
“Across the East Riding, the council is responsible for 1,900km of paths and obviously there will be many areas that need work. But our officers need to prioritise that work given the available budgets, which are under intense pressure.
“Our officers will continue their efforts to secure additional funding to upgrade the path from external sources.”
Footpath Accidents
One of the most common types of public accident that we deal with are footpath accidents. Footpath accidents can happen due to potholes in the path or road, raised paving slabs, and more.
The Highways Act 1980 states that local authorities are responsible for keeping all roads and footpaths safe to use. This means a council has a legal duty to repair any damage that occurs to surfaces. They must do this by making repairs within six months of being notified of the risk. If a local council does not do this and someone has an accident, then they may be liable.
Proving Footpath Accidents
When you have a footpath accident, you may be wondering how you can prove that the accident was the fault of the council. The main thing you can do to prove your accident was due to a defect in the footpath is to take photos of the path. To make a personal injury claim, a defect on a footpath must be at least one inch deep or raised. This differs to defects on a road, which must be at least two inches deep and 12 inches wide.
How We Can Help
Here at The Compensation Experts we work with solicitors who have years of experience dealing with personal injury claims. This includes footpath accidents. Contact us today by filling in our contact form. Or call us on 01614138765 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable agents.