ELDERLY women at a sheltered housing scheme in Devizes say urgent repairs are needed on the town's pavements after two of them fell down and needed hospital treatment.

The pensioners, who live in Offers Court, Southbroom Road, claim the pavements in Southbroom Road, Hare and Hounds Street, Sheep Street, Long Street and Sidmouth Street have not been repaired for some time and are hazardous in places.

Lilian Kingsbury, 76, spent a week at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon before Christmas after breaking her left arm.

She fell down at the corner of Hare and Hounds Street and Sheep Street when she was walking home after going shopping. She was pushing a trolley when she fell.

Mrs Kingsbury, who walks with the aid of a stick, said: "I stumbled over because the pavement was so bad. Luckily there were two men who came to help me and they called an ambulance."

Mrs Kingsbury, a former nursing sister, said: "Our pavements are really lousy. The excuse that the council gives is that there is not enough money to repair all pavements.

"Whichever way we walk to the shops the pavements are not good. The slabs are uneven in Southbroom Road so I tend to go down Hare and Hounds Street but that isn't much better."

Mrs Kingsbury said her fall had not put her off from walking.

"I enjoy walking although I take my time. I won't give in and the fall I had will not stop me. I just wish the council would give us decent footpaths," she said.

Another resident of Offers Court fell on the pavement in Long Street last year and needed hospital treatment.

Fellow resident Mary Sullivan, 84, a former nurse, has written twice to Kennet District Council complaining about the state of the footpaths.

She said: "Most of us who live here have experienced problems walking on the footpaths. If I hadn't had my four- wheel shopping trolley with me I would have fallen over a number of times.

"The pavements are dangerous. They have been like it for so long that they are now badly worn.

"The new pavements in the Market Place have been done beautifully. If the council can pay to do those pavements why can't they do the pavements near us?"

The work on the new pavements in the Market Place was paid for jointly by Wiltshire County Council, Kennet district and Devizes town councils.

Wiltshire County Council is responsible for repairing and maintaining pavements. It said people with concerns about pavements should contact them so its staff can assess the state of them.

A council spokesman said: "Pavements in the main streets in all of Wiltshire's towns are inspected on a regular basis. The most important and regularly used are inspected every month.

"Inspections in the Devizes area have been increased in recent months. A series of safety repairs were carried out in January in St John's Street and Northgate Street.

"Further repairs were carried out in April as a result of subsequent safety inspections in High Street, The Brittox, Northgate Street, Wine Street, Long Street and St John's Street.

"We carry out walked inspections in Sidmouth Street. Driven inspections are carried out in Southbroom Road, Long Street, Hare and Hounds Street and Sheep Street.

"Anyone with concerns can call the Clarence hotline on 0800 232323 to report highways defects. If there is a clear and immediate danger we aim to make it safe and repair within 24 hours."

He added: "We have a revenue budget of £450,000 to deal with pavements throughout the whole of the county."