A pensioner suffered a split lip and bruises after she fell over on an uneven surface in Braintree’s town centre.

Lena Hipkin, 87, of Meadow Park, Braintree, needed stitches after falling on the cobbled area outside Boots opticians in Great Square about 3pm last Wednesday afternoon.

Shoppers stayed with the great-grandmother for hours as she waited on the pavement until an ambulance took her to Broomfield Hospital.

The mum-of-three, a retired data manager, wanted to especially thank a woman who held her hand and kept her calm.

She said: “I caught my feet on the cobbles and I just went down."

See this week's Braintree and Witham Times for the full story.