A coroner is set to write to Nottinghamshire County Council, expressing significant concerns over the condition of the county's roads, following the death of an elderly woman who tripped while crossing a street. Beryl Barrett, 87, tragically died on Christmas Day last year, six days after sustaining a fractured hip in a fall on Church Street in Warsop.
An inquest at Nottingham Coroner's Court concluded on Monday that Ms Barrett's death was accidental. Assistant Coroner Nathanael Hartley found that her walking frame became stuck in a road defect on 19 December, causing her to lose balance. While her medical cause of death was recorded as bronchopneumonia, with other contributory factors including COPD and ischaemic heart disease, the coroner stated the fall "more than minimally contributed to Beryl's death, because without it she would not have died when she did."
During the inquest, Assistant Coroner Hartley issued a prevention of future deaths report. This report highlights concerns regarding the assessment procedures used by the county council and its contractor for reported road damage, as well as broader national guidelines. Although the inquest was not provided with specific details on the depth or width of the defect, it was noted that an earlier video inspection of the pedestrian crossing Ms Barrett used had identified a defect that should have been flagged for repair, but was not.
Ms Barrett's family described her as a "feisty" and "independent" woman, deeply involved in her church and local community. They told the court she was active daily, enjoying bingo and outings with friends. Her family expressed profound distress, feeling her death was not a natural end, particularly as she had been in good spirits just before entering hospital.
Via East Midlands, the contractor providing highways services for Nottinghamshire County Council, stated they were facing "unprecedented levels of demand" for road repairs. Steve Walton, pre-construction director, acknowledged that multiple thousands of calls were being handled and that road conditions could deteriorate rapidly, especially during wet winter weather. He indicated that an "additional defect" might have been present at the time of Ms Barrett's fall, though workers had followed correct inspection and repair procedures for other issues.
The issue of Nottinghamshire's road conditions was previously raised in Parliament earlier this year by Labour MP Steve Yemm, who mentioned Ms Barrett's tragic fall. The road where Ms Barrett fell was inspected on 31 December last year following her accident and subsequently repaired on 2 January this year.