IMPROVED safety has been called for at Minehead's recycling centre after a local pensioner was seriously injured in a fall at the Mart Road site.

Anne Coutts was left with a broken wrist, broken thumb, contusion to the side of the head, internal bleeding in her skull and a damaged nose following the incident last Saturday.

The 75-year-old was emptying a bag of wood shavings into the 'real wood' skip when she tripped coming down the metal access steps.

Her husband Barry told the Free Press he was elsewhere on the site when the accident happened.

"I heard someone say that a lady had fallen and you can imagine my shock when I discovered it was my wife," he said.

"She was lying on the ground and there was a pool of blood next to her."

Mr Coutts praised the actions of staff at the centre who immediately called an ambulance and closed down the site.

"They acted with impressive speed, efficiency and sympathy," he said.

"A local anaesthetist was at the site and was able to test for vital signs.

"He remained with my wife until the ambulance arrived and I would like to thank him for his help."

Mrs Coutts spent four days being treated for her injuries in Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital, finally being allowed home on Wednesday.

"She was fairly shaky and looks as if she's gone five rounds in a boxing ring," said Mr Coutts.

"She is on the mend but I hope this accident will encourage the Somerset Waste Partnership - which runs the site - to raise the priority on site improvement.

"Minehead has a greater than average percentage of elderly residents and although the site operatives do their best to assist elderly people up and down the stairs, a bigger site with a safer system is urgently needed."

Mr Coutts said that for years he had heard people complain about the danger of having steps leading to the skips rather than ramps and of the traffic congestion outside the site at busy times.

"Clearly the Somerset Waste Partnership do not have unlimited funds nor unlimited land but bearing in mind the elderly population here, the steps system is particularly dangerous."

A spokesman for the Somerset Waste Partnership said the organisation deeply regretted that someone had injured themselves at one of its recycling centres.

"We hope Mrs Coutts makes a full recovery," he said.

"Safety of customers and staff is of the highest importance and the attention given to this issue is reflected in the very low accident record of these sites.

"They are visited millions of times a year, yet thankfully report only a handful of usually minor problems."

The spokesman said the incident would be invested by Viridor, the contractors running the site, and a report prepared to see if any further safety measures were required.

"Information on site signs, on our website and in waste service leaflets ask visitors to take special care at recycling centres, including asking staff for advice and for assistance when needed."

More information on the use of recycling sites and safety is available at http://www.somersetwaste.gov.uk">www.somersetwaste.gov.uk.