Â鶹ԼÅÄ

A blind man has described being left shaken and in pain for months after being hit by a car driving along a pavement.

Steve Lawrence, 62, from Talbot Green, near Pontypridd, was trying to get around cars parked on the kerb when he was hit.

The driver swore at him, before driving off, he said.

Mr Lawrence, whose cane was broken and shoulder badly hurt, said he was left "nervous to walk" back from the shops.

He has joined other disability campaigners in a bid to make it illegal for people to park on pavements in Wales.

Back in July, the Welsh Government said an expert group would consider how to tackle the issue, but ministers have since said an outright ban may not be the right solution.

Mr Lawrence, who has been blind since 2014, said he had struggled to get around cars parked on walkways before - but the incident had left him shaken.

He was walking home from the shops and using his cane to get around the cars when one of the drivers hit him in December 2019.

And he was unable to report the incident, which left him needing physiotherapy for his shoulder, as he could not see the driver or the number plate.

"I am very independent and confident walking alone, but this made me nervous to walk in that area for a while," he said.

"I worry other blind and partially sighted people in similar situations would have their confidence knocked and be less likely to leave the house as a result."

There is already a ban on parking on footways on most London streets, but there are calls for it also to be made illegal in Wales.

More than 800 people signed a petition after fears disabled and elderly people, and parents with prams, were being forced into roads to avoid vehicles parked on walkways.

RNIB Cymru, the organisation for people with sight loss, said clear pavements were essential for blind and partially sighted people and they could be badly hurt.

"Many blind and partially sighted people collide with the parked vehicles, at best losing confidence of independence and at worst resulting in injury," said Kirsty James, from the charity.

The Welsh Government's panel is due to report findings into how to address the problem later this year, but ministers have already said punishing drivers who had no choice but to park on pavements near their homes may not be the right solution.