A UNIVERSITY student researching austerity has hit out at Government cutbacks after suffering facial injuries when she tripped on crumbling pavement.

Natasha Osben, 30, from Weeley, was returning home at night when she fell near to the railway bridge in Clacton Road, Weeley.

She suffered a large gash to her face and required hospital treatment.

Natasha said: “

The road doesn’t have any lighting at all and I couldn’t see where I was going. All of a sudden the pavement dissolved – I caught my foot on the pavement and fell.

“It was more of a shock than anything - blood was running down my face.

“I had a gash on my forehead and bruising to my cheek, so I took myself to A&E. I felt quite sore and sorry for myself.”

Natasha, who stood for Labour in Clacton at the last General Election, is a PHD student at Essex University and is researching the impact of austerity.

She blamed her fall on central Government cuts to local authorities, which she said has led to a lack of investment in local infrastructure and puts residents at risk.

She added: “The National Audit Office has said local authority funding has been slashed by 50 per cent. It’s almost understandable that because they are struggling that local authorities need to make cuts.

“However, you can’t overlook the fact that Essex County Council is responsible to keep our pavements and roads safe and fit for use.

“If that pavement didn’t disappear, I wouldn’t have fallen over - and some lighting wouldn’t have gone amiss near a train station.

“It could have been so much worse and I’m almost glad it was me – a more vulnerable or elderly person might not have been able to get up if they broke their hip or teeth.”

An Essex Highways spokesperson said crews carried out repairs to the pavement and verge near Hillside Garage, Clacton Road, in October, and pavement defects at the junction with Church Lane and near Hilltop Garden Centre were made safe in January.

He added: “Further repairs are due to start tomorrow to repair these defects permanently.

“The road is inspected every three months, but clearly it is possible that new defects can arise, or existing defects get worse between those inspections.

“We feel we are doing a good job in keeping the county’s pavements maintained with the resources we have and we aim to do more.

“In his recent budget speech, David Finch, leader of Essex County Council, announced an extra £700,000 to help repair defects in pavements and footways across the county.”

“If anyone notices a problem on the road or pavement, we would ask everyone to report the fault online at essex.gov.uk/highways so that we can check and if necessary fix the problem to avoid anyone else having an accident there.”