Repairs to 32 potholes in one road which were expected five months ago have not been carried out, despite one person suffering a broken arm and serious bruising after tripping in them.

Walking along Priests Lane, Shenfield, has been described as like playing “hopscotch” and residents and the local councillor are demanding the council takes action to fix the holes.

Just before Christmas, Cllr Graeme Clark was told by Essex County Council (ECC) that it would carry out the maintenance work after he reported the damage to the pavements.

He first brought it up with the authority after an elderly residents tripped over and had to be treated by paramedics in October.

But Cllr Clark said he was frustrated and angry that five months on, the cracks were still there and he has been told to report the potholes to the authority again.

Cllr Clark (Lib Dem, Shenfield) said: “They first came to my attention when one of the residents of Hutton tripped on one of them and needed ambulance care after his face was so badly damaged. He had cuts and bruises to his face.

“It’s badly affected him and psychologically he is scared to walk along the pavement for fear of tripping over again.

“There is another lady who tripped on a pothole and broke her arm.

“They are very dangerous. I inspected them in November and asked the council to repair them. Now I’ve been told to formally request for the repair work again.

“I am frustrated by the lack of action despite how dangerous it is and me reporting them already.

“I want to know why work hasn’t been done already.”

Cllr Clark added: “Since I reported them, I’ve inspected the potholes with two different ECC inspectors and had their agreement that they are in such a bad state that repairs should be carried out ASAP.”

Resident Ronald Hayns, 70, who helped the man who tripped, said; “The poor man smashed his face and broke his glasses. That could easily happen again.

“Walking along this road is like doing hopscotch and we have to be so careful and not take our eye off where we are walking. It needs to be resurfaced because it is in such a bad condition.”

An Essex County Council spokesman said: “We are aware of some defects on the footway in Priests Lane which will be scheduled for repair in due course.

“In order to ensure safety and minimise disruption, the county council has to prioritise work on defects that present the most immediate safety risk.”

Defects can be reported via the Essex County Council website www.essex.gov.uk or by calling 0845 603 7631.