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Thetford 71-year-old woman breaks hip in wobbly pavement fall in St Andrew’s Street North, Bury St Edmunds




A 71-year-old who can barely walk after fracturing her hip in a fall on uneven pavement slabs has spoken of her outrage with a council.

Elaine Hill, of Thetford, spent more than a week in hospital after losing her footing on a wobbly pavement in St Andrew's Street North, in Bury St Edmunds, outside Bury Bakery and Sandwich Bar and Bury Kebab and Pizza House.

“The loose slab threw me off balance and before I knew it, I hit the floor,” she said. “As soon as my husband tried to help me up, I just couldn’t move.”

Elaine Hill with her husband Robert. Picture: Mark Westley
Elaine Hill with her husband Robert. Picture: Mark Westley
The slab that caused Mrs Hill to fall. In the background, the injured 71-year-old was covered in a foil blanket to keep her warm. Picture: Submitted
The slab that caused Mrs Hill to fall. In the background, the injured 71-year-old was covered in a foil blanket to keep her warm. Picture: Submitted

A police woman in the area came to help and called an ambulance, only to be told there would be a five-hour wait.

Another officer covered Mrs Hill with a foil blanket to keep her warm as it began to rain while she laid on the floor.

A schoolgirl in a green uniform even spent her own pocket money to buy a blanket for the injured woman.

Mrs Hill was in hospital for 10 days after she fell in St Andrew’s Street North. Picture: Mark Westley
Mrs Hill was in hospital for 10 days after she fell in St Andrew’s Street North. Picture: Mark Westley

While in hospital for 10 days, she began to seek compensation from Suffolk County Council but was told by a no-win no-fee solicitor that without measurements of the hazardous slabs her case would be hard to win.

Her husband, Robert, returned to the scene in Bury to take the measurements but found that the pavement had already been repaired — erasing the evidence needed to press her claim.

Mrs Hill said: “Now I can’t even get some compensation after what’s happened to me.

“The paths all over the town are so bad. Why couldn’t they have maintained it in the first place? How many more people have to get hurt?

The pavement on St Andrew's Street North in Bury St Edmunds. This photo was taken and reported on September 3. Picture: Submitted
The pavement on St Andrew's Street North in Bury St Edmunds. This photo was taken and reported on September 3. Picture: Submitted
The pavement has since been repaired. Picture: Submitted
The pavement has since been repaired. Picture: Submitted

“There was nothing wrong with my hip before this. Now I can’t garden, I can’t go out on my boat, I can’t do anything — and the council just doesn’t care.”

During her ordeal, a retired ambulance driver passing by stopped to assist and spoke with the ambulance service to help speed up the response.

Mrs Hill was eventually taken to hospital where she was told she had fractured her left hip and would need a full hip replacement.

SuffolkNews published an article about the wobbly pavement just four days before Mrs Hill's fall, following concerns from the team at Bury Bakery and Sandwich Bar. Picture: SuffolkNews
SuffolkNews published an article about the wobbly pavement just four days before Mrs Hill's fall, following concerns from the team at Bury Bakery and Sandwich Bar. Picture: SuffolkNews

For the next 12 weeks, doctors have instructed her to sleep on her back, avoid lifting anything and refrain from crossing her legs during her recovery period.

SuffolkNews had reported on the uneven pavement issues just four days before Mrs Hill's fall on Tuesday, September 10.

Staff from the sandwich shop reported that three elderly women had tripped in the same spot during a single week in August, highlighting an ongoing issue that has persisted since the shop opened in 2022.

Mrs Hill used to work in insurance in Bury before she retired. Picture: Mark Westley
Mrs Hill used to work in insurance in Bury before she retired. Picture: Mark Westley

A spokesperson for Suffolk Highways said: "We are very sorry to hear about Mrs Hill’s fall and wish her a speedy recovery.

“We take any compensation claim seriously and would need to conduct a full investigation into the incident before being able to take the matter further.”

The injury has severely disrupted her life, especially her involvement with a boat club that participates in organised excursions.

Mrs Hill, who used to work in insurance in Bury, said: “When I retired, I never wanted to be one those little old ladies who just sits in a chair and watches TV all day.

Cllr Diane Hind visited the site with a ruler to report that the defect did meet Suffolk Highways' 20mm criteria. Later that day, Mrs Hill had her fall. Picture: Submitted
Cllr Diane Hind visited the site with a ruler to report that the defect did meet Suffolk Highways' 20mm criteria. Later that day, Mrs Hill had her fall. Picture: Submitted

“We have an active social life — and it’s all been ruined because of this.”

Cllr Diane Hind, mayor of Bury, reported the wobbly slab on September 3 but was told it did not meet the 20mm intervention criteria.

On September 10, she returned with a ruler, proving it did and a few days later the slab was repaired.

Cllr Hind believes the repair was not made soon enough and that Mrs Hill’s fall could have been prevented.

She said: "It’s just poor. Highways should have dealt with this urgently when it was first reported."

Now, Mrs Hill is hoping to track down the young girl who generously bought her the blanket during her time of need.

“Her parents should be so proud of her,” she said. “She was only in her early teens, I think, and I just thought that was so sweet.

“She didn’t know me from Adam, but to do that was so, so kind.

“It’s restored my faith in human nature. We hear such bad things about the youth of today, but I would love to know who she was to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

If you can help to identify the youngster, please email sam.harrison@iliffemedia.co.uk.