An 80-year-old man has told Silsden Town Council that he fears for his life when walking down a notoriously uneven pavement in the town.

Eric Acomb told a meeting of the town council that it would only take a fall head-first on to one of the protruding flagstones on Hillcrest Avenue for it to result in death.

“And nobody seems to give a damn,” he said.

“I am sorry ladies and gentlemen but that is fact.”

Hillcrest and Spencer Avenue, leading on from one another next to the Co-op, have broken flagstones on the pavements and uneven roads.

The two roads are unadopted and Silsden Town Council has campaigned for years for Bradford Council to take responsibility for their repairs.

But Bradford Council’s response has always been that there are too many unadopted roads in the district, which would cost too much for the council to fix, and that central government should take action instead.

Many elderly people live on the two roads and don’t have the money to pay for the repairs themselves. Mr Acomb fell on the Hillcrest Avenue pavement in 2006 and badly injured himself and is annoyed that still nothing has been done to repair them.

In May this year, the Keighley News featured 85-year-old Arthur Bernard’s fall on Hillcrest Avenue, in which he injured his head.

Mr Acomb said: “What am I paying my precept for?

“Under its rules, the council has a duty to abate nuisance on the highway, whether they are adopted by the council or not — so I want to know why it is not taking responsibility.”

Silsden mayor Cllr Michael Elsmore said the town council would contact Bradford Council on Mr Acomb’s behalf voicing his concerns.

He said: “We do have a big issue with unadopted roads in Silsden as a whole.

“But while they are unadopted by a local authority, there is not a lot we can do.”

Cllr Adrian Naylor, also a Craven Ward district councillor, said: “Bradford would be able to fill in the potholes but no more.”