APENSIONER is blaming a crack in the pavement for a fall which left her needing hospital treatment.

Gwendoline Smith, 76, fell while getting off a bus at the end of Bournemouth Park Road, near Eastern Avenue, Southend, falling on her side and hitting her face.

Mrs Smith, of Pretoria Avenue, Noak Bridge, is partially disabled and uses crutches and says the fall was caused because of a large crack in the pavement.

She was left with injuries to her leg, knee and face.

The injuries have temporarily left her with difficulty speaking and son Michael, 40, said his mother would be looking for compensation from the council.

He said: “She’s partly disabled and is sometimes unsteady on her feet, so she has crutches, but they pavement was cracked and raised up – she caught the corner of it and just went over.

“She went down on her left side and smacked her head really hard, so a lady came running out and called an ambulance and she was taken to Southend Hospital with a suspected broken knee because it was quite swollen.

“Since then, we’ve had to take her Basildon Hospital because her head has got worse. She’s had bumps appearing and keeps getting headaches – she’s still suffering in her back, shoulders and legs, too.”

A council spokesman said: “We regularly inspect all pavements in the borough and repair any dangerous defects as a matter of priority.

“We have not had any reports of problems in this area, but of course, we take matters like this seriously and a member of our Environmental Care team will visit the site and inspect the area.

“In the meantime, we would ask that residents or visitors report issues like this directly to us and as soon as they can, either by calling 01702 215003 or by using the report it function on the council website.”