Nearly half the streets of Bracknell Forest are in such a bad state they pose a danger to pedestrians, according to a survey.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapists calculated 49 per cent of the borough’s pavements need repairing and put people in peril, particularly the elderly.

But Bracknell Forest Council has disputed the findings and wants the danger spots identified by the survey’s authors.

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The results, which were released on Monday, place Bracknell with the worst pavements in the South East a place they hold jointly with the Royal Borough.

The figure is way above Reading at four per cent, Wokingham at five per cent, and Slough at 14.

The average for the South East is 21 per cent.

The council, which is in charge of pavement maintenance, said the statistics were calculated using only a small sample.

Anthony Radford-Foley, highways asset manager, said: “We work hard to maintain our pavements to a high standard, and we prioritise trip hazards and other defects as soon as they are reported to us.

“The survey quoted by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy is based on a visual inspection of just 50km of our 700km pavement network.

“I would happily invite a representative of the society to walk with me throughout the town centre and point out to me exactly where the pavements are defective and/or dangerous to older people."

He added busy areas like the town centre received weekly inspections and monthly safety reports

This year, Bracknell Forest Council has £3.8million to spend on maintaining all the borough’s roads, pavements and cycle paths.

Pamela Holmes, Help the Aged healthy ageing manager, said: “Our own research suggested that councils are caught in a vicious circle.

“On the one hand they are required to sit on large sums of money to cover legal fees and compensation, and on the other they are cash-strapped when it comes to repairing pavements that may cause falls in the first place.

“It is vital councils invest more money in keeping public walkways safe as falls are a leading cause of death for over-75s and, at the very least, one fall can shatter an older person's physical and mental well-being."