Tributes to woman who died after falling in pothole

The family of an 87-year-old woman who died in hospital after falling into a pothole while crossing the road have described her death as "unnecessary".

Beryl Barrett fell in Church Street in Warsop, Nottinghamshire, when she clipped the wheel of her walking aid on the road and was taken to hospital where she died, her family said.

Steve Yemm MP said on Wednesday that Barrett "tragically fell into an unrepaired pothole" and called for repairs to the county's roads.

Bert Bingham, a cabinet member on Nottinghamshire County Council, said his thoughts were with Barrett's family but said "we do not feel that it is appropriate to comment further until any relevant investigations have taken place".

Barrett died in hospital on Christmas Day - six days after the fall.

The statement from her family said: "We, the Barrett family, would like to address the event that we believe, caused the death of our mother on 25 December.

"She was 87 years old, living independently in Warsop. She had a very active life.

"She regularly attended church, bingo and met family and friends for events."

Barrett fell backwards on to the road and was helped by "many kind members of the public" and emergency services, the statement said.

The statement added the family were told Barrett had broken her femur and the top of her previous hip replacement, and she was taken to King's Mill Hospital.

"It was recommended that she have surgery the following week," the statement said.

"Sadly and absolutely unnecessarily, she went into respiratory failure and passed away on Christmas Day.

"We believe that, if that accident hadn't have occurred [despite her underlying health issues], she would not have passed away in this way."

Speaking during Prime Minister's Questions, Yemm said: "Sadly, on Christmas Day, my constituent, Beryl Barrett, passed away after tragically falling into an unrepaired pothole, and I'm sure the whole House will wish to share my condolences with the family.

"In my constituency of Mansfield, there are literally thousands of potholes in our roads which Nottinghamshire County Council are failing to repair.

"Does the prime minister agree with me that it's time the council took action to repair our roads and will he meet with Beryl's family so that we can work together to ensure that no more accidents like this happen again?"

Sir Keir Starmer responded to the question by offering his "deepest sympathies" to Barrett's family.

"I will make sure the roads minister meets the family at the earliest opportunity," Sir Keir said.

"It shows why tackling potholes really matters. We are investing £2bn in the East Midlands to fix the roads and improve local transport.

"We are also putting in place tough new standards so that councils must prove they are fixing roads properly."

Bingham added: "We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a resident in Warsop in December, and our thoughts are with their family and friends.

"Any reports of incidents on our highway resulting in injury are taken extremely seriously and are investigated to establish the circumstances in which they occurred.

"In this case, we do not feel that it is appropriate to comment further until any relevant investigations have taken place."

Warsop Parish Council described Barrett as a "much-loved" member of the community and offered its condolences to her family.

The authority said it led a minute's silence for Barrett at its last meeting, "where a number of residents attended to voice their concerns about the roads in our parish".

The council added: "Warsop Parish Council would like to reiterate that it has no legal powers to fund or carry out road repairs, but we will continue to raise residents' concerns with Nottinghamshire County Council, support discussions regarding potential next steps and advocate for answers and action.

"We will use our voice as a parish council wherever we can to improve safety for our community."

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