ANGRY residents have launched a petition to persuade North Yorkshire County Council to resurface a pavement following a string of accidents.

A "minefield" of concrete blocks between the road and the path in Hawthorn Avenue, Malton, have been blamed by residents for at least four known falls, one of which resulted in a 78-year-old woman receiving five cracked ribs and a black eye.

But after two years of residents' complaints, funding has still not been released to resurface the path.

Malton town councillor Steve Preston said: "All the grass that was originally there suddenly disappeared to be replaced by concrete blocks.

"Initially when they were put in they were fine, but now it's causing all these problems. It's just a minefield.

"After two years of complaints they have got nothing done, despite the fact there's been a number of accidents."

Resident Nigel Swift, 56, was outraged when his five-year-old granddaughter, Hannah, received bruising and a suspected broken finger after falling on the pavement in the dark.

He said: "How many more falls there have been I don't know. How many people have picked themselves up, dusted themselves down and carried on.

"At this end of the town we're just forgotten about, but that's what you get, it's a council estate, they think they can just fob us off."

Mr Swift has urged residents to keep a log of future falls.

Peter Renshaw, the council's divisional engineer, said the area had been refused funding last week, and would have to wait until next year to be resubmitted for assessment.

He said: "Footpaths are in a poor condition for the whole of the estate. But compared to other footways over the county, they don't rank high enough to secure funding.

"All we can do in the meantime is go and put bits of tarmac here and there to keep it safe."

A North Yorkshire County Council spokesman said: "We are aware of the situation on the Hawthorn Avenue estate, and we appreciate that a lot of work needs to be done in the area.

"Because of the size of the scheme, it would be quite expensive. It's been ranked and assessed along with all other schemes in the county. We have only just received the petition, which is being treated as a matter of urgency, and we will respond to Coun Preston personally."

Updated: 10:54 Saturday, April 19, 2003