A WOMAN broke her left ankle and passed out from the pain after tripping over a hole in the pavement at the Laindon Centre.

Judy Moody, 71, of Longwick, Langdon Hills, also badly bruised her right ankle after the fall at the shopping centre, off High Road.

The grandmother-of-five passed out and needed treatment at the scene from a doctor, before being taken to Basildon Hospital.

Mrs Moody’s injuries come after months of complaints about the condition of walkways and road surfaces at the centre, which is riddled with potholes.

Mrs Moody said: “The hole I fell down must have been three inches deep.

“My foot went from under me and my ankle went the other way, then I must have fallen unconscious.”

Mrs Moody and husband David, 71, complained yesterday they had been worried for months about the state of the pavement throughout the pedestrianised shopping and health centre.

Mrs Moody said: “The pavement is a disgrace – it’s bad all over, with holes and cracks everywhere.

“I’ve thought for a while someone was going to be badly hurt and now it’s happened to me.

“I’ve heard about several other people who fell over around there. Apparently, one person smashed her face on the floor.”

The overall condition of the Laindon Centre has slumped during eight years of delays in rebuilding the run-down Sixites’ complex.

Laindon Regeneration, the private firm which owns the site, has published redevelopment plans, including proposals for a Morrisons supermarket, 215 new homes, restaurants, shops and parking.

A spokesperson for Laindon Regeneration said: “We’re looking into this incident in detail and will take any action necessary.”