BROKEN and damaged cobbles in Royston High Street could cause a serious injury to pedestrians unless action is taken, it has been claimed.

Many of the cobbles, located at various points up and down the High Street, have come loose or been removed completely, leaving the road surface uneven.

Lisa Thompson, of Kingston Vale, Royston, contacted the local authorities earlier this year after she tripped and fell in the High Street, but said she had yet to receive a response and says no action has been taken to solve the problem.

Mrs Thompson, who is general manager of The Stationery Cupboard, said: “I had a bad fall in February near WH Smith when I caught my foot in a hole and fell over.

“This was particularly unpleasant as I was suffering with a knee injury at the time and waiting to have an operation.

“I wrote to North Herts District Council, who said they had passed my comments on to Hertfordshire Highways, but to date nothing has been done and it’s just getting worse. People are actually picking up the loose cobbles and putting them on the side of the road.”

She has since written a second letter to Hertfordshire County Council highlighting the issue.

“It’s a problem all up the High Street, particularly outside our shop and up towards Curwens’ Solicitors,” said Mrs Thompson.

“This really does need to be addressed as someone is going to have a serious accident soon.”

Campaigner Terry Hutt, of the Royston Pensioners’ Action Group, said he had received several complaints about the road surface.

“I’ve actually picked up a few of the loose stones that had been put at the side of the road and taken them down to the town hall,” he said.

“The council have told me they are looking into it, but until something is done accidents are going to happen.”

Royston’s county councillor Fiona Hill said: “The dangerous cobbles should be immediately repaired to make it safe. That’s a priority, but we are looking at the whole area anyway, with a view to a longer term solution.”

A spokesman for Ringway, Hertfordshire County Council’s highways contractor, said anyone with concerns about the road surface should log a fault online via the reporting service on www.hertsdirect.org