Great-grandmother amy Gardner suffered horrific injuries after tripping on a pavement in Oxford city centre. Widow Mrs Gardner, 70, fell head first when she tripped on a piece of protruding concrete outside Harry Ramsden's restaurant in St Ebbe's. According to the Pedestrians' Association, one in five of Oxford's pavements is crumbling away and that verdict on the state of the city's streets was highlighted in the Oxford Mail last week.

In Mrs Gardner's case, she spent five hours in the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford receiving treatment for injuries including a broken nose, two black eyes and a badly swollen leg. Mrs Gardner, of Spencer Crescent, Rose Hill, Oxford, said: "There was a brick sticking out of the tarmac.

"I tripped on that and I was gone. I do not know what happened but I was in terrible pain."

Mrs Gardner, who has 17 grandchildren and ten great grandchildren, had several witnesses to her accident. She said she now plans to sue Oxford City Council for compensation.

She said: "I have tripped on pavements before but I have never gone over like this. The brick was jutting out just a little way and was very difficult to see."

Mrs Gardner's daughter, Mrs Susan Solly, of Plowman Tower, Marston, added: "I think this is terrible. There are a lot of old people tripping up on pavements that are not fixed.

"We think cutbacks are to blame." MUSICIAN FEARS TUMBLE MAY WRECK CAREER Professional musician Andrew Claxton is suing Oxford City Council after he tripped on a pavement and broke both his wrists.

Mr Claxton, 48, of Cumnor Hill, Oxford, fears his career could have been ruined by the fall, in Magdalen Road, east Oxford.

He is demanding compensation for loss of earnings and damages after the fall left him in plaster for eight weeks.

Mr Claxton, a leading composer and member of the City of Oxford Orchestra since 1974, had just left the Magic Cafe, in Magdalen Road, in April when he tripped over a cast iron pavement gutter - which was jutting out about one-and-a-half cm above the pavement.

He fell to the ground, breaking his wrists after putting out his hands to cushion his fall. Mr Claxton, a keyboard player and bassist, said: "It has been absolutely devastating. I was not able to play a note for weeks and I am still in pain. I do not know what the long-term implications will be."

After the accident, Oxford City Council inspected the Victorian gutter cover and told Mr Claxton it was not liable for the fall because the gutter's upkeep was the responsibility of the nearest house- holder.

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