HAMPSHIRE County Council will be inspecting a road in Winchester city centre following complaints of loose paving, less than two years from when the pavement was replaced.

The county council was criticised for the state of the pavements in Southgate Street, after nearby resident Howard Jenkins highlighted the loose and wobbly slabs as a trip hazard.

The county council has confirmed it will investigate the issue and that the work completed in the Autumn of 2022 was up to scratch.

READ MORE: Winchester man criticises council for dangerous paving slabs

Hampshire Chronicle: The paving slabs in Southgate StreetThe paving slabs in Southgate Street (Image: Adele Bouchard)

A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: “We are arranging for an inspection of Southgate Street in Winchester following reports of loose paving. Repairs will be undertaken for any safety defects that are identified.

“The paving work completed in November 2022 was carried out to the correct standard. However, pavements in busy historic areas alongside narrow streets are more susceptible to damage from delivery vehicles overrunning the road edge and illegally parking. Our engineers do take this into account within their designs but the location of underground apparatus, including live utility cables, can often restrict the options that are available.”

Mr Jenkins, 69, who lives in Archery Lane off Southgate Street, counted 22 loose paving slabs when walking down a short stretch of the street recently.

The consultant-chartered building surveyor is concerned that tax payers’ money is being misspent. He previously said: “When a pavement is redone it should be indefinite, particularly with the amount of effort they put in. If this work had been done properly it should last forever. When they laid the concrete slabs they were terribly thin and brittle and that is why they are now broken. Delivery vans drive on the pavements and park there.”