Oswestry fence row sparks fears for pedestrian safety
A fence put up by supermarket bosses in Oswestry is putting lives at risk, it has been claimed.
The high wooden fence, erected last week, blocks the pathway between Caxton Surgery and The Pharmacy @ Caxton in Oswald Road and Aldi supermarket in Beatrice Street.
It means pedestrians who want to visit both sites will now have to walk an extra 200 yards, cross two busy driveways and walk through the supermarket car park.
Bob Wydell, 75, lives in sheltered accommodation in Llwyn Fields and uses the cut through to pick up a prescription three times a month.
He has lower back arthritis and his wife, Marion, 70, suffers from gout.
He said: “Believe me, that section of Oswald Road at the bottom of the car park is very very dangerous.
“The whole thing is totally discriminating against pedestrians. I think they’ve put it in to stop people parking for free and walking across to use Morrisons, where you have to pay to park.
“But it doesn’t deal with that problem.
“It means an extra 1,000 yard hike and it’s not just the old and infirm it affects, but also mothers with pushchairs, they will have to cross next to a large bush obstructing their view, with cars going in four directions.
“It’s going to be a big problem. The decision is autocratic, high-handed and totally unreasonable.”
Mr Wydell said he had heard lots of other patients complaining about the situation.
John Gentle, superintendent pharmacist at The Pharmacy @ Caxton, said it is also a concern for him.
He said: “Our patients are going to be affected by this.
“Their usual route will be cut off and for someone who only ventures out to collect a prescription once a month this can have a huge impact on their willingness to do that, which could in turn affect their health.
“With the winter approaching we are terribly concerned for people who will now have to walk further on a potentially icy track which will be even more dangerous than usual.”
A spokesperson at Aldi said: “We have received a number of complaints from Aldi customers at our Oswestry store who are unable to park in the car park, due to it being misused by people visiting the nearby surgery and pharmacy. We’ve listened to our customers and have placed a perimeter fence around the area to ensure there are available spaces for our customers who wish to park on site while doing their weekly shopping.”
