ONE Swindon pensioner is taking the icy conditions in his stride.

Frank Avenall, of Bathampton Street, has come up with a cunning plan to avoid slipping on snowy streets.

Mr Avenall, 87, got so fed up with taking a tumble in wintry conditions that he attached pieces of carpet to his shoes.

He said: “I’ve been doing it for three years or more now. The reason was that I went down quite heavily a few times when the pavements were icy.

“Being a retired engineer I knew there must be something that could be done.

“I realised that a piece of carpet would be a perfect surface to go against ice.

“The problem is that most people are walking about on rubber soles and that’s why everyone has been falling over the last couple of days.

“I have been out everyday this week and I haven’t had any problems.

“If everyone just did something like this the hospitals wouldn’t be full of people with broken wrists and ankles.”