Highways officials swooped to fix a pot-hole only two hours after this woman fell and broke her nose, but ignored other dents in the road.

Kathleen Buntrock, 76, of Church Lane, Thornton-le-Dale, was walking her two dogs when she tripped over the hole in Rectory Lane.

"It was a deep hole, and it would have been easy enough for them to find because it was surrounded by blood," she said.

"But the rest of the road is littered with pot-holes. It's a big problem in Thornton-le-Dale and nothing seems to get done about it."

Mrs Buntrock, a retired care worker, also suffered extensive cuts, bruises and shock.

Her husband, Anthony, a 68-year-old retired surveyor, complained to North Yorkshire County Council's highways department and has contacted his solicitor to discuss legal action.

Mr Buntrock said: "It's absolutely disgusting. Something has got to be done because there are so many old people in Thornton-le-Dale.

"I wouldn't mind, but I'm paying nearly £150 a month in council tax. We're being over-charged. Nothing is being done."

Peter Wilson, assistant divisional highways officer for Ryedale, said: "If we get a report that someone's tripped in a pot-hole then an inspector goes out and checks it immediately. They carry instant asphalt in their vans and would do it there and then.

"He may not have repaired the ones in the road if there is an order out for our contractors to do them, but if he considered them dangerous he would have repaired them immediately. We would never leave anything considered dangerous."

Peter Renshaw, North Yorkshire Highways divisional officer for Ryedale, said: "There are quite a few resurfacing and re-patching schemes in the pipeline for Thornton-le-Dale. The orders for some have gone out already, and others will be done at the beginning of the new financial year in April.

Wilf Garbutt, chairman of Thornton-le-Dale parish council, said: "We've been campaigning for the last six months about some places where elderly residents are forced to walk on the road because there are no footpaths and there are quite deep pot-holes.

"The county council have spent a lot of money on a road survey. I'm not saying they are wrong in doing that, but you have to bake the cake before you put the icing on. They've got to get the roads sorted first."

Updated: 09:03 Thursday, March 17, 2005