'˜Dangerous' Battle footpath causing concern

Fiona Thatcher’s mother-in-law uses the path every day to get from her home in Asten Fields to the town centre to do her shopping.

But lately her experience has been full of unease as she has to hold onto the fence due to the amount of wet leaves and mud on the path that runs past Battle and Langton Primary School.

“She walks into town each day to shop and recently has had enormous difficulty getting down the footpath by the primary school,” Mrs Thatcher said.

“Indeed, I followed an elderly lady down this path who had to swap her walking stick into her left hand, and then descend the path holding onto the fence, going hand over hand.

“All this, simply because East Sussex County Council, who I discover have known of this issue since November, 2015, will not allocate manpower to clear the path.”

A county council spokesman said it is unclear whether it is just leaves causing the issues but surface improvements may be necessary in the future.

“The problems reported on this footpath are being investigated to establish the nature of the problem,” he said.

“At this time of year fallen leaves can make paths difficult to use, or alternatively the path surface may need improving. We will do whatever is possible to make the path easier to use in the immediate term, but it may be necessary to look at surface improvements in the longer term.”

Mrs Thatcher said she appreciates the pressures public services are under but added the cost of an ambulance to attend someone who has fallen on the path would cost more than simply making it safer in the first place.

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