A mother who tripped in a hole and fell into the road with her baby’s pram said she had feared for his life.

Sanet Le Grange, 35, was pushing her son Louis along Loughton High Road when she put her foot down the hole as she approached the crossing outside baby shop Bababoom.

She said: “I stepped in the hole and it made me lose my balance.

“As I fell, I was holding onto the handles of the pram and as I fell down, I pulled the pram down and flipped it towards me.

“It ended up in the main road.

“Thank god there was no oncoming traffic. I could have been planning a funeral.

“It’s one of the busiest streets in Loughton. I think the light must have been orange or red.”

She was taken in by staff at Bababoom before driving home to Chester Road, Loughton and went to her GP the day after the fall, which happened on Thursday.

She said: “I went to the doctors and I have bruising on my foot. My baby has a heart condition, so I don’t know what the long-term effect might be.

“I’m really shaken. I saw a little girl fall backwards from her chair at church and I just burst into tears.”

An Essex County Council spokeswoman said: “An Essex highways officer was sent to Loughton High Road to inspect the hole in the pavement on Tuesday night and the pavement was made safe.

“We will ensure a permanent repair is carried out as soon as possible.”