Nearly a third of all pavements in Kingston are in need of repair, according to new figures.

According to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) research, 30 per cent of the pavements in the borough are broken or uneven, well above the national average of 22 per cent.

However, Kingston was not the worst offending borough as Lambeth had 36 per cent of walkways in need of attention.

Kingston Council said it conducted an annual inspection of all pavements and had already reduced the amount of those needing maintenance to 20 per cent.

A spokesman said: “In addition to this statutory annual survey, the council also conducts more regular checks to help plan and prioritise maintenance and repairs.

“£3.5m was invested into the borough’s highways in 2007/08. The result is that the condition of pavements has improved and the percentage in need of repair for 2008/09 is estimated to have dropped to 20 per cent.”

The CSP said the state of pavements was leading to an increase in falls among elderly people.

Lynn Sutcliffe from CSP, said: “If local authorities act sooner rather than later to fix the pavements that need repair, many unnecessary falls could be avoided.”