I NEARLY fell flat on my face at lunchtime.

As I caught my foot on a dodgy paving stone, I went flying but fortunately, managed to regain my balance without embarassing myself any further.

I can assure you that I was sober and I was wearing flat shoes.

It did shake me up as I had a sudden vision of my front teeth being knocked out as I slapped headfirst into concrete.

I know I would probably have sustained other injuries but it was my teeth I was worried about - hefty dental bill, that sort of thing.

Looking at the state of our pavements, it's hardly surprising I tripped.

It's not only our roads that are in dire need of urgent repairs but some of our pavements are appalling.

Cracked, raised or sunken with missing chunks, our pavings stone are a real hazard.

I wonder how many people sue the council each year because of them?

I would be really interested in finding out the figures.

In Wiltshire a businessman had to dig into his own pocket to pay for three paving stones to be replaced outside his new beauty salon because the local authority there said it couldn't afford to replace them.

Not surprisingly, the council welcomed the man replacing them at his own expense and expressed the hope that more businessmen would follow his example and repair pavements outside their premises! It's a bit rich isn't it when we've got to replace them ourselves?

I thought that was why we pay so much council tax?

Fortunately for me I'm usually fairly steady on my pins but I pity any elderly folk, people with disabilities or mums trying to push prams, it must be a nightmare.

Apparently, if a paving stone is sticking up above the rest of a path by more than an inch and you have an accident, you will probably be entitled to a personal injury compensation claim.

Surely this is reason enough to make them safe?