Eastbourne woman succeeds in getting council to remove ‘dangerous’ cobbles

Monica Richards lives in the Andwell Court retirement flats in Trinity Place and said ever since she moved in four years ago the cobbles by the Premier Inn ‘have been a pain’.

Monica said, “I myself have many a time had to walk in the road to avoid them, when talking to residents it become apparent that they were having falls and getting their walking aids stuck in between the cobbles and not being able to walk safely on the pavement.

“I thought it was time to take matters into my own hands and start a petition to get them removed.”

Monica said she sent a questionnaire around to find out how many people were being affected by the cobbles.

She said, “To my surprise I had a very good response.”

The questionnaire was sent to Councillor Peter Diplock who got the ball rolling by setting up meetings with the relevant parties.

Monica said, “At last the cobbles have now been finally filled in.

“The residents of not only Andwell Court but the members of the Eastbourne community can now safely walk along the pavement without having to walk in the road.

“I would like to take the opportunity to thank once again all of those of whom have been involved.”

Councillor Diplock said, “Monica came to me for help and I was glad to assist, particularly with pressing Highways to remove the cobbles.

“They were causing problems for lots of elderly residents in the area, some of whom had fallen over because of them and others who had to walk in the road in order to use their mobility aids properly.

“It is fantastic the cobbles have now gone as it’s little changes like this that make a big difference to people’s lives.

“Monica was the driving force behind this, she got the petition signatures, and full credit to her for making this happen.”