Residents in a plush north London borough have blasted their local council over a “dangerous” sloping pavement that has remained unfixed for a year.
People in West Hampstead have repeatedly complained about the “angled” pathway on West End Lane near the station, claiming it causes trips and forces pedestrians into the road.
The pavement was laid by a developer “without permission”, yet Camden Council has still not corrected the issue 12 months later, The Telegraph reports.
Locals even held a mock birthday party to mark the blunder’s first anniversary and draw attention to the lack of action. The council insists it is “moving forward” to fix the fault.
Actress Jacey Salles, who starred in ITV’s Cold Feet, branded the paving a “bad joke” and accused the Labour-run council of “constantly passing the buck” after a year of complaints.
She said: “It’s especially dangerous for the elderly, those with mobility aids and buggies. The incline is steep and forces pedestrians onto the road as the regular pavement is already narrow.
“Rush hours are particular hazardous as the volume of people travelling to the three West Hampstead train stations is huge. We need a safe, flat pavement to walk along, especially with icy conditions on their way.”
Lib Dem councillor Janet Grauberg added: “While the council and BT are arguing, residents are suffering.”
Campaign group Save West Hampstead has also criticised the design, saying it “defies logic”. A pensioner with hip and knee replacements described tripping over the uneven ground, calling it “very, very dangerous”.
A Camden Council spokesperson said: “The work to the pavement was carried out by the developer without permission.
“With agreement from local groups, the planter was placed on the footway to better mark out the sloping pavement for pedestrians while we work to rectify the issue.
“We are moving forward with plans to upgrade the footway and apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
