BRAINTREE High Street should be pedestrianised to stop it falling it further disrepair, it is claimed.

Town resident Trevor Watts made the call after a week of heavy rainfall which has seen pockets of the High Street filled with large puddles.

Shoppers have long complained about the uneven pavement and roads which run through the town centre which have reportedly caused numerous people to trip and fall over.

Last year, Braintree Council and Essex County Council launched a consultation on multi-million pound plans to improve the High Street, including the option of banning all vehicles.

But with little progress made on the plans in the past 12 months, Mr Watts, who is a Stansted Airport security guard and has lived in Braintree since 1991, has demanded action be taken to improve the standards of the uneven pavement.

He said: “They’ve been talking about pedestrianising the High Street for a long time, but nothing seems to be happening.

“It is just getting worse and worse and no one seems to be doing anything about it.

“You hear stories most days of older people tripping up and falling over because it’s so uneven.

“It really is making the town look terrible. I’ve lived here for 28 years and I’ve seen a decline, especially in the last five years or so.

“You can see the council has got the right idea by running the markets and drawing people in. But if the high Street is pedestrianised, then you could have more markets running each day.

“I really like living in Braintree and want to see the town do well. It’s just frustrating that there’s a lot of talk about what they want to do about it but nothing is getting done.”

A spokesman for Essex Highways says talks on the future of the High Street are ongoing and called on the public to report any defects in the town centre.

He added: “There are some longer-terms decisions to be made about the High Street in Braintree and in the meantime our inspectors continue to check the roads and pavements there in detail every month.

“We repair the area to the same standards as we do in every town centre and encourage members of the public to report any hazards they find at www.essex.gov.uk/highways.”

A Braintree Council apokesman added: "“We know people are passionate about making Braintree a better place and we are too.

"Following the pedestrianisation consultation we have been and continue to work closely with partners and stakeholders, including Essex County Council, to identify what long-term and deliverable solution for the high street could be, before we can say what is possible.”