Pavement craters restricting OAP walks

A survey of over-65s indicated that 31 per cent say cracked or uneven paving limits the amount of walking they do.

The poll found that getting exercise, being out of the house and fresh air are among the things older people enjoy most about walking locally.

Joe Irvin, chief executive of charity Living Streets which commissioned the research, said: “Walking regularly can be an antidote to isolation, helping to reduce the risk of depression and dementia. If we all viewed our streets through the lens of an older adult - or a child, a wheelchair user or someone living with sight loss - we would soon begin to understand how unfit for purpose a lot of them are.

“We want local authorities to be reassessing their streets and seeing how they could be made better for people aged nine and 90.”

Transport Minister Jesse Norman said last week that local roads are “not in great shape” as they have historically been “a poor relation” in terms of transport funding.

A Local Government Association spokesman said: “Councils are fixing a pothole every 17 seconds, but funding challenges remain for local authorities to deal with long term maintenance of their local roads and pavements.”