A WOMAN from Pershore whose father never fully recovered after he slipped on ice and hit his head last winter has called on the county council to make gritting a top priority this winter.

John McNulty was 81-years-old when he lost his footing and smashed the back of his head whilst crossing Albert Road in Evesham. He was a keen walker and was still working as a music teacher at the time of his accident.

Mr McNulty suffered a massive blood clot on the brain which required surgery and later brain shrinkage due to the severity of his injury.

This led to him having a series of strokes and he died last Friday, November 26, aged 82.

His daughter, Farah Sadoq, confirmed his death has been referred to the county coroner for autopsy but no date for an inquest has yet been set.

In order to prevent anyone suffering like her father did Mrs Sadoq, from Queen Elizabeth Drive, has implored the council to ensure gritting is top of the agenda as the cold weather sets in once more.

She said: “My father was a victim of the bad freeze last January. He slipped and hit his head as he crossed towards the middle of Albert Road, which was not gritted.

“The injury was very severe and despite making a bit of a recovery he still suffered from minor strokes. He was a very fit man and a keen walker but the injury was so severe this was inevitable.

“He remained to his death fully in control of his senses and it has been such a great tragedy.”

She added: “We now have another cold snap and I have not seen any grit on the roads this year. A man lost his life because of this and I don’t want anyone to suffer like my father did because there is not enough grit.”

Worcestershire County Council confirmed the gritting season got underway this week and that there was no shortage of grit with more than 13,000 tonnes of salt in stock.

A council spokesperson said: “It was with sadness the council was made aware of the death of Mr McNulty and our sympathies are with his family at this difficult time. Our gritting policy is always a top priority and ensuring the safety of road users and pedestrians remains of paramount importance.

"The council works hard to grit all major routes - more than 56,000 miles were covered last year including all A roads as well as busy B and C roads - but unfortunately, with the best will in the world, it is simply not possible to grit every single road in the county.

"As ever, we advise people to take extra care in icy conditions and, where roads look perilous, to avoid making unnecessary journeys. In particular, where possible, the elderly should avoid going out on their own and find somebody to accompany them if it is absolutely necessary to venture out in icy weather."

A Requiem Mass for Mr McNulty is set to take place at St Egwin’s Church in Evesham next Friday, December 10 which will be open to the public.