A BLIND man from Overton has appealed to the county council to clear footpaths in the village, months after initially asking for it to strip back the bushes which are encroaching on the pavements - making it difficult for him to walk. 

Steven Temple lost his sight in December 2021 and now uses a white cane to navigate his way around the village and his daily life, but the simple task of walking to the high street is becoming more calling for Steven. 

Shrubbery has been left overgrown - narrowing the footpaths - making walking with a white cane difficult.

The 53-year-old said he had been forced to walk along the road in some places where walking on the footpath was too difficult.

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Steven said he had raised the issue with Hampshire County Council a number of times, but only one part of the footpath down to the high street had been trimmed back.

Andover Advertiser: Steven Temple lives on Kingsclere Road Steven Temple lives on Kingsclere Road (Image: Mark Paine)

He added that signage had previously been put on the footpath when part of the B3051 had been resurfaced recently, resulting in Steven banging his head and knocking into signs, but CarFest signage had been placed onto the verges and out of the footpaths.

"It's nice to see they've (CarFest) taken the signage into consideration, which gives me half a chance," he said.

Steven continued: "It's hard, because what you might see as a sighted person is different to the experience of someone with visual impairment. It can be very frustrating, and even more so when I'm just asking for some general maintenance to public footpaths and areas.

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"I'm registered as blind through Hampshire County Council, so they know where I live, they know I've reported it, and with my circumstances, you think it would be taken into consideration. I appreciate they can't do everything all the time, but I'm not asking for a lot.

"All other sectors have to make adjustments for people with visual impairment or disability, so I can't see why the council is any different. These aren't just problems I face, as people with prams, walking difficulties or wheelchairs will also struggle to walk down these paths without being attacked by the shrubs or pushed into the road."

Steven is on the waiting list for a guide dog but said that he would have difficulty using it, as guide dogs are trained not to walk on the road for safety reasons, and the path would be too narrow for both the dog and Steven to use at the same time.

The Gazette has contacted Hampshire County Council for comment but has yet to receive a reply.