Lilly Landers is so devoted to her husband Bill that she makes two trips every day, summer and winter, to see him in hospital even though he cannot speak or walk.

Bill Landers, a retired hotelier, suffered a severe stroke after breaking his hip tripping over a paving stone seven years ago.

Now Mrs Landers is taking West Sussex County Council to court, alleging it did not properly maintain the pavement in Heene Road, Worthing.

Everyone will feel compassion for this couple whose lives were wrecked after the accident.

It's entirely understandable that Mrs Landers wants justice following an accident she feels was not her husband's fault.

But the council, which looks after miles of pavement in Worthing and many other towns, is contesting the action.

Mrs Landers will have to prove the council was negligent and this could be difficult, bearing in mind the long time that has elapsed since the accident.

Councils deserve to pay up when they have plainly not bothered to repair pavements which have been uneven for months or even years.

But as the bad weather of recent weeks has shown, damage can be caused swiftly to roads and pavements.

Even with the best system of checks, they can't always be repaired immediately and pedestrians have to take reasonable care.