Project to make steps safer come to a halt

Although three of the four Queensway shops have offered to pay for some of the work, it is still unclear where responsibility for the large area of steps actually lies.

Shropshire Council has offered to do the work, as well as to improve the footpaths surrounding it, but cannot begin until money to repair the private land is raised.

A campaign to begin the work, which will cost around £13,000, began after the death of Roger Taggart, who died months after tripping on the steps because of complications from breaking his hip and pelvis.

It has been two years since Councillor Carol Whittle got involved in the fight to make the area safer, and she said things have not moved along for several months.

"Until we get some sort of an agreement between the tenant and landlord of one of the shops, we're at a stalemate," she said.

"This has been going on for two years, and I've been chasing up with solicitors and owners, trying to find the deeds – it has been an ongoing battle.

"People continue to fall there. I'm told one of the shops has a chair for anybody that falls, it happens so often.

"Roger Taggart was actually a terrible case. He just wanted to put it right. He didn't want to sue. If he had been different and had sued, I think both the tenant and landlord would have a lot more to pay out."

Councillor Whittle said both the steps and footpath needed to be repaired and made easier to use for disabled people.

"Unless we can find a good fairy to find about £1,000 or £2,000 to make up the shortfall, we can't go any further," she said. "I don't know where to go from here.

"People with pushchairs or walking frames have to go out into the road around the cars that park in front of the shop, so there's another risk there. I wish we could get this sorted."