Elderly woman dies after falling into pothole

An elderly woman died after falling into an unrepaired pothole, her MP has said. Beryl Barrett died on Christmas Day, having reportedly broken her hip in a fall when her walking stick got stuck in a pothole.

Steve Yemm, Labour MP for Mansfield, brought up the case in the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session at the House of Commons said: "Sadly, on Christmas Day, my constituent, Beryl Barrett, passed away after tragically falling into an unrepaired pothole".

He said there were "literally thousands" of potholes on the roads of his constituency, criticising Nottinghamshire County Council and asked Keir Starmer to meet her family.

The Prime Minister expressed his condolences and said he would ensure the roads minister would meet her family. "It shows why tackling potholes really matters," he said.

He has launched a petition calling on improvements which it is said her family and friends are backing.

Local newspaper Mansfield and Ashfield Chad has reported on the pensioner's death. They quoted Mr Yemm saying: "I am angry that another member of our community in Mansfield and Warsop has suffered physical injury and in this case death as a result of the degradation of our roads in the area, and I have met with Beryl’s family to offer my condolences.

A statement from Warsop Parish Council said: "Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with Mrs Barrett's loved ones at this difficult time.

"The Parish Council recognises and shares residents’ concerns regarding the condition of local roads and pavements, which have been raised with our County Council representative and noted at the Parish Council meeting on 19 January 2026.

"A large number of residents attended this meeting to discuss the roads in Warsop Parish.

"While the Parish Council has no legal powers to fund or carry out road repairs, we will continue to raise residents’ concerns with Nottinghamshire County Council, support discussions regarding potential next steps and advocate for answers and action.”

They say a minute's silence was held in memory of Mrs Barrett at the Warsop Parish Council meeting on Monday.

Nottinghamshire council was contacted for comment. Previously, David Langford, director of highways at the authority said: “We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a resident in Warsop in December, and our thoughts are with their family and friends.

“Any reports of incidents on our highway resulting in injury are taken extremely seriously and are investigated to establish the circumstances in which they occurred.

"“In this case, we do not feel that it is appropriate to comment further until any relevant investigations have taken place."