A COWDENBEATH business fears that the condition of the pavements running past their High Street premises could pose a major danger to pedestrians.

And a local councillor has asked that 'inconsiderate drivers,' who are driving onto the pavements and causing much of the damage, think about the repercussions of their activities.

Caroline Paterson, who runs Kassy's Kitchenette at 217 High Street, said: "The pavements are very uneven and in some places I would describe them as dangerous.

"Because of vehicles being parked on the footpaths, virtually daily, the surface is breaking up and really needs attention to make them safe."

Conservative Councillor for Cowdenbeath, Darren Watt, has expressed concerns about the state of the footpaths at the centre of Cowdenbeath High Street and is calling for immediate action before someone is seriously injured.

Councillor Watt said: “The stretch of pavement, from Nifty Gifts shop to The Asian Cuisine Take Away, is in such a serious state of disrepair, that I fear someone could take a nasty tumble and badly hurt themselves.

"It is particularly bad outside Kassy’s Kitchenette, as pretty much every slab is broken and causing a real trip hazard.”

He added: “All the slabbed pavements along the High Street have some level of damage, however, this area is considerably worse because inconsiderate drivers are parking directly on the pavement as there are no bollards to prevent them doing so. It’s been reported that large vans and lorries regularly park there, often delivering goods to local businesses.

"However, not only is this causing irreparable damage to the pavement, it is incredibly reckless and puts pedestrians lives in danger. "I am truly anxious of possible repercussions if one of Kassy’s customers leave the café just as a vehicle is mounting the pavement.

“I have followed this up with senior Council Officials and have insisted we see permanent solutions implemented at the earliest opportunity. Not only will this improve the look of the street and the visitor experience, it’ll certainly help prevent a number of potential accidents and injuries.”

Andrew Walker, of Fife Council's Town Centre team, has been working on Cowdenbeath's SUSTRANS project since the start of it and said this week that it was hoped that this could be tackled within the next few weeks.

He said: "We are aware of the damage done to the pavements beyond the rail bridge and the impact of vehicles using the slabs for parking purposes has really led to the serious damage that has been outlined.

"We are reaching the closing stages of the work at the south end and will be discussing with the contractor what can be done to improve the condition of pavements outlined."

Mr Walker said that it was planned that upgrading work was expected to take place beyond the bridge in the near future, towards the town house.