A STUDENT nurse who treated an elderly woman after she suffered a heavy fall in Cirencester has said the town centre has become a ‘death trap’ for vulnerable pedestrians.

The regeneration scheme, due to be completed next month, has caused a large amount of disruption with roadworks across Market Place since February and the newly-introduced shared spaces for motorists and pedestrians creating much confusion.

However, one of the main problems for pedestrians has been the low kerb design of the regeneration scheme.

First introduced on Castle Street, the design has been used throughout the scheme despite coming in for widespread criticism after several people suffered injuries after tripping and falling.

Partially-sighted and vulnerable people have labelled the kerbs ‘invisible’ and are also unhappy that a pedestrian crossing has been put out of action as part of a trial to introduce zebra crossings.

Kane Owen, 21, was riding through Market Place at 1pm on October 5 when he stopped to help an elderly woman who had fallen over a new kerb and suffered a head injury.

He said: “As I came around the corner I saw five or six people kneeling down.

“As I got closer I realised an little old elderly lady was on the floor.

“She had a head wound and was very shaken up.”

He said he phoned for an ambulance but there was some confusion as he was told another ambulance had already been sent out to the same location minutes before.

“It turned out about 60 feet away another elderly woman had fallen on the kerb and the first ambulance was for her.”

Kane said for two falls to occur ‘within two minutes’ points to how ‘awful’ the situation is.

“It’s a death trap,’ he added.

He hopes to make contact with the lady to see if she is ok.

A town council spokeswoman said: “The overall aim of the project is to significantly reduce the volume and speed of traffic and increase the area of paved surface given over to pedestrians.

"The quality of the paved surfaces are being greatly improved and being laid with care to achieve smooth even surfaces without trip hazards.”