A woman who was left needing a wheelchair after tripping on uneven paving still does not know who was responsible for her fall.

Mary Greenham, 69, ruptured her achilles tendon in April, 2004, after she fell outside the now demolished Co-op in West St Helen's Street, Abingdon.

It meant that Mrs Greenham and husband George, of Riverview Terrace in Abingdon, had to cancel a holiday.

Oxfordshire County Council has taken a year to say it does not know who is responsible for the uneven pavement.

Mr Greenham, 70, said: "If it had been a very elderly lady she could have been seriously hurt.

"As it was, my wife was in pain and she was incapacitated for the best part of three months. We are looking for compensation."

Initially, Mr Greenham complained to the Vale of White Horse District Council, but was told it was the county council's responsibility.

The county council blamed British Telecom (BT), but the company insisted it was the fault of its subcontractor, Skanska -- which in turn said the pavement was defective when the work started.

Skanska suggested the couple spoke to Oxfordshire County Council.

Mr Greenham was told workers would dig a trial hole to find out more. This did not reveal anything, but the council did promise it would have a monthly 'walk-by' to check the site of the accident.

Any evidence about the footpath has now vanished. The Co-op building was demolished a few months ago, taking the paving stones with it.

Mr Greenham said: "I suspect they were all stalling because they knew the Co-op store was going to be demolished."

Mrs Greenham added: "The county council are surely responsible for people working on their footpaths. If they hire people to do work it is their fault."

Describing the saga as "a very complex situation", a county council spokesman said: "We have undertaken an exhaustive investigation, including digging a trial hole to find out who is responsible for the alleged damage to the footway.

"Unfortunately that investigation has proved inconclusive."

The council has advised the couple to take independent legal advice. They are preparing papers to send to a solicitor.