Town axes log benches after pensioner falls off face first

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Evelyn Rider suffered an angina attack and spent a night in hospital after the accident in Sutton town centre.

She said: "I tried to sit down but the whole log shifted away from me and I fell face-first onto the floor with a tremendous crash. I was very shocked."

She said the new benches were "a danger" to everyone, adding: "Even if the log seats are secured they are still a potential danger to pensioners like myself.

"There are no handles to lower or raise yourself and the seats have no backs to them. This so-called renovation is a total waste of time."

Now Sutton council has been forced to take all
16 benches out of use temporarily while contractors replace a faulty locking mechanisms in the seats — part of a £3.2 million redevelopment scheme for the town centre.

The fault led to the logs rolling backwards and forwards as soon as someone sat on them.

A council spokesman said: "All the benches have a locking mechanism designed so that they can be moved to allow access for the emergency services. Unfortunately the locks were not working correctly and all the benches have been taken out of service while new mechanisms are installed."

The scheme was also criticised by Steve O'Connell, the London Assembly member for Sutton and Croydon, who questioned Transport for London, which part-funded the project, for approving "such poor value spending".

He said: "I am sure there must have been other projects that could have been delivered that would have actually benefited residents of the borough."