Injuries caused after job unfinished

John Henry (79) is already gravely ill as he is undergoing punishing chemotherapy treatment for prostate cancer and is being treated for a heart condition.

He now has a fractured elbow and seven stiches to his face plus severe brusing to add to that.

The retired offshore worker was taking his dog for a walk near his Craigside Court home on Saturday, when he stumbled on a well-used path leading to a local bus stop.

This which was the scene of a re-surfacing job which inexplicably stopped six months ago, leaving an uneven surface putting the area’s largely elderly population at great risk.

Mr Henry lost his footing in here, briefly lost consciousness and had to be rushed to hospital after being spied by a good Samaritan.

Grandfather Mr Henry said: “The pain is horrendous. I can’t sleep because of it. I can’t even hold a cup. All I can do is just sit here and do absolutely nothing.

“What I now want to know is why this re-surfacing work was never finished. I can’t understand it. The reason I’m speaking out about this is because I don’t want this to happen to happen to anyone else.”

Naturally the incident has horrified his friends and neighbours in the tight-knit community.

It is also alleged that complaints had been made about the path by the council’s own staff months ago ago but went unheeded.

Billy Lees of Westfield Community Council and Westfield Pensioners said: “Mr Henry has been through an awful lot. I really feel for him. We talk about the danger of potholes in roads but what about pavements?

“I’m calling for this job to be finished and for pavements to have the same checks as roads.”