Buckinghamshire Council has fixed a manhole cover after a grandmother from High Wycombe fell down it and fractured her shoulder.
Georgina Heyburn, 47, was hospitalised after falling into the ‘six-foot’ deep chamber by the A413 in Aylesbury in January 2024 while walking her two dogs after the manhole cover was not secured.
She has demanded compensation from the council over the accident, which she says has left her with lasting injuries and needing to take hydrocortisone injections for the pain.
The council initially refused to take responsibility for Georgina’s fall and denied that the manhole was its property, claiming that it belonged to UK Power Networks.
But in a U-turn, the authority has now admitted that the manhole was in fact its property and apologised to Georgina, who was ‘petrified’ by her fall.