Local councillors have welcomed the start of works to make the paved area in front of a busy parade of shops in Woodthorpe a safer place for pedestrians.

In recent years a number of residents have tripped and fallen on rocking and uneven paving slabs in front of the shops on Moorcroft Road which prompted councillors to seek to persuade the current leasehold owners of the land – Morrisons supermarket – to take action to make the area safer.

A petition signed by 60 concerned local residents was presented by Cllr Stephen Fenton to the previous Leaseholders – McColls – in October 2021, but this did not prompt the necessary repairs.

Then in September 2022 Cllr Fenton notified the leaseholder and freeholder of a particularly nasty incident where a lady had tripped and fallen, sustaining two swollen and badly bruised knees, bleeding hands, a fractured finger and bleeding lip. She was stranded on the ground until a passing motorist stopped and offered help. Councillors also requested that council officers write to the landowner to encourage them to take steps to make the area safer.

Cllr Fenton commented “It has taken a long time and lot of effort, but it is great to see work underway to make the paved area in front of the shops safer.

“There has recently been welcome investment to transform the interior of the nearby Dick Turpin pub, and we want to encourage people to shop locally and support the fantastic businesses that we have in Woodthorpe. If people feel safer when they are out and about, then that’ll be good for business.”