A?PENSIONER?who for many years ran a florist shop in Alton is recovering after becoming another victim of the town’s uneven pavements.

Sheila Betts, 73, is threatening to sue Hampshire County Council if they fail to repair the paving stone that caused her fall.

The accident happened on the morning of July 30 as Mrs Betts was walking “in sensible flat shoes” past Boots Opticians on the High Street, only a few feet from her old shop, when she tripped on a paving stone and fell onto her face.

Fortunately, a window cleaner was working nearby and helped her up while a female customer in the bank next door drove her to her GP surgery in Four Marks.

“The cut on my nose was so deep it felt like my nose was hanging off. I had to have stitches and next morning my face was swollen and bruised and I didn’t sleep that night because of the pain,” she said.

“I have been given painkillers and penicillin, in case of infection from falling on a dirty pavement, but I have also been told to rest because of the shock.”

Although told to rest, the next morning Mrs Betts was determined to take action over what she feels is fast becoming a serious problem in Alton of pavements badly in need of repair.

“Strangely, I am the one usually picking people up who fall as there have been other falls in other parts of the town because of the bad paving.

“I have lived in Alton for 35 years and this never used to happen but once, 15 years ago, when I did trip over a raised paving stone the council workmen came out straight away to fix it. They don’t do that now.”

Mrs Betts has now reported her accident to Hampshire County Council and told them to repair the paving area around the opticians.

She added: “I have also heard another person fell there recently and so if the county council don’t carry out the repairs within 10 days I can sue them.”

A Hampshire County Council spokesman said: “People’s safety is our first concern. There will be localised relaying of paving slabs in Alton High Street in the coming weeks.”