Renewed calls have been made to replace Keswick town centre’s kerbs following the discovery of documents from more than 10 years ago warning of the dangers they pose.

A road safety audit to Cumbria County Council in 2005 stated that the ‘trip hazard’ in the town centre continued to be a problem which would be “difficult to defend in court”.

The report went on to recommend a review of the kerb scheme to be carried out in 2007/8 to look into any problems or issues.

It added: “The appropriate recommendation might be to ... make a flush join.“

The report highlighting the problem kerbs was revealed as part of a Freedom of Information request made by town councillor Graham Kendall to the county council asking for details on all safety audits and any other related advice about the safety of the pavements and kerbs in Keswick Market Square .

The response came 146 days after his request was made.

Mr Kendall said: “I can’t see any evidence of a review of the kerbs ever happening in 2007 or 2008.

“It is deeply disturbing that the county council has known about this for so long, and yet has taken no action.

“It has taken Cumbria County Council almost half a year to answer my Freedom of Information request that should have been answered within 20 days. I’ve had to challenge the council repeatedly when it initially failed to fulfil its legal obligations to answer the FOI request properly.

“Now we know that a scheduled crucial safety review either didn’t happen, or all evidence of it has been destroyed.

“The fact that at the same time the council faced a legal challenge may be coincidence, but it certainly doesn’t look good.

“The most important issue now is not whether there has been a cover-up, but rather ensuring the county council will finally get the kerbs fixed so that we can stop people unnecessarily falling in the Square”.

The county council would be keen to avoid completely replacing the kerbs – which could cost more than £1m and cause major disruption to Keswick town centre.

“Cumbria County Council is aware of the ongoing issue with kerbs in Keswick. The local member, Councillor Lywood, Keswick town council and Allerdale Local Committee are working together to identify a long term and mutually acceptable solution,” a spokesman said.

“The design and construction of the Market Place was carried out to national standards and was subject to extensive consultation with bodies including Keswick Town Council, Allerdale Council, Lake District National Park Authority and Disability and Motability groups.

“The safety of the public is our highest priority so we are reviewing the accident data accordingly.”

Mr Kendall says the financial cost and disruption to the town is a price worth paying if it makes life safer for those visiting Keswick.

He added: “It is really grim.

“Every fall that happens is a pain and an incovenience, but the older and more infirm you are, the worse it is.

“It is a public safety matter. It is pretty obvious that if it is completely flat, no one has anything to trip over.”