Concerning the letter from Frances Orchard published on November 8, the footpath highlighted by Mrs Orchard is indeed in a dangerous state.

This fact was brought to my attention by the mother of a young lad who sustained horrific facial injuries whilst going to school along that pathway, I can confirm as the county councillor for this area, I have contacted both the school and the county’s highway department, who have since surveyed the pathway and will be resurfacing and edging a 50-metre section as soon as possible.

The school has already cut back its hedge thus allowing the full width of the pathway to be used .

This, as Mrs Orchard states, is not an isolated case as far as the state of roads and pathways go in Totton and although our Highways Department do what they can, with so many staff and funding cuts inflicted on them by Hampshire County Counci,l they seem to be fighting a losing battle .

I fear, like most of our county, until a full infrastructure survey and report is commissioned and published Totton can’t cope with any more houses or any more development.

The present roads and pathways are crumbling, travel times are extending and pollution is increasing.

Time to stop.

No more development without the infrastructure and the repair of our existing roads and pathways.

Cllr Chris Lagdon, UKIP New Forest East