I reported on the cobblestone streets of Somerset almost a year ago. It looks like the work has finally begun.
~The Archivist
Workmen have begun ripping up the cobbled streets of a perfectly preserved medieval village over health and safety fears.
The ancient roads and paths were an iconic feature in the historic settlement of Dunster, Somerset, which dates back to Bronze and Iron Age Britain.
But last year council chiefs deemed the cobbles ‘too dangerous’ after receiving complaints from pedestrians who had slipped and injured themselves.
The cobbles do not have an owner and are in a poor state of repair and traders fear litigation if they take responsibility for repairing them.
Now work has started to rip up the middle section of the cobbles and replace it with natural stone paving, with a foot of cobbles left on either side.
The work is expected to cost taxpayers more than £100,000.
A spokesman for Somerset County Council said the authority had been working with the Dunster Working Group, which was set up to find ways of ‘enhancing’ the village.
He said: ‘The installation of the natural stone section through the centre of the cobbled area will provide a good quality surface for wheelchair users, pushchair users and pedestrians alike.
