Sir – As I was going shopping on Saturday, January 5, I stopped in to see my mother and found her in a state of distress, as she had just suffered a fall in the High Street that left her unable to stand for some minutes.

Luckily the good folk of Witney were there to assist her to her feet and she was able to get home unaided, with the support of her shopping trolley.

I told her to rest and went into town to get her some support bandages for her wrist and to see the spot where the fall happened, which was outside Burton’s.

On arriving there, I found that a large part of a paving slab was missing, above.

I fully understand that a missing slab cannot be replaced instantly but surely it could have been marked or cordoned off in some way.

Or is that too much to expect in these austere times?

Adrian State, Windrush Close, Witney