Council 'committed' to keeping footpaths safe after concerns raised over Jarrow estate pavements

South Tyneside Council has said it remains ‘committed’ to keeping footpaths in the borough safe, despite the recent impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

It comes after a resident of the Hill Park estate in Jarrow expressed concern about the condition of the pavements in the area.

Andy Buddin, who has lived on the estate for almost three decades, said he feared the overgrown weeds and cracks in the pavements in Ashbourne Road were an ‘accident waiting to happen’.

He commented: “I know there’s a lot going on at the moment but this is the worst I’ve seen it. I just worry that it only takes one person to fall.”

According to South Tyneside Council, the weed treatment service which operates throughout the borough is currently running around 12 weeks behind due to additional pressures caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

But bosses have reassured residents that they plan to carry out improvements to the footpaths in the Hill Park Road area later this year.

A South Tyneside Council spokesperson said: “We are committed to ensuring our footpaths are in a safe condition and work in line with the National Code of Practice for highways safety.

“We undertake walked safety inspections at least once a year in residential areas to identify any issues. We also respond to specific complaints regarding damaged paving stones, though we are not aware of any complaints in this particular area.

“Repairs are carried out where paving stones are deemed to be in a dangerous condition, with cracked flag stones only repaired if they are loose and causing a hazard, in accordance with the required criteria for repairs.

“However, we do have plans to carry out some footpath improvements in the Hill Park Road area later in the financial year.”

They added that the weeds in the Ashbourne Road area were treated earlier this month – the treatment must stay on for 14 days to be effective – and teams would be checking for any areas which may have been overlooked.

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