A disabled access ramp between New Street and Mill Wall in Sandwich could be under threat if funding cannot be found.

That is the fear from Cllr Joe Trussler who is spearheading the need for disabled access around the Town Trail.

In March last year, councillors revealed the ramp could cost £22,000 with more than £2,000 coming from the council and £15,000 pledged by Kent County councillor Leyland Ridings.

This would be part of the 106 agreement money, a pot of cash negotiated by a developer in the area with the council.

Councillors claim this money is also needed for other areas, such as the traffic management scheme, but Cllr Trussler fears if they don’t act now none of this will be possible.

He said: “It’s going nowhere, this has been going on since last year when we got the go ahead. I honestly believe that we need this.”

He said the council should fund a structural engineer to survey the area, which could be £2,500.

"I honestly believe that we need this.” - Cllr Trussler.

He said: “If it’s dead in the water because of expense then we can let people know but I think we ought to do it. It needs to be done immediately.”

This comes after residents complained that the steps from the Town Trail were lethal.

Sonia Jackson, of Millwall Place, wrote a letter to the town council expressing her concerns in December last year.

“It’s lethal,” She said. “If you slipped on your back you could damage your spine.

“I think it would greatly enhance the town and make it a lot easier for people to walk round.”

Lesley Jordan, of Church Street St Clement’s, suffers with multiple sclerosis and she said that she is forced to avoid the area because she fears that she might slip.

At the meeting, it was suggested that funding might come from Dover District Council as part of the Green Parks and Open Spaces plan but it is not known how long this would take.

The council voted to fund the structural survey and look into other funding options.