RIBBLE Valley MP Nigel Evans will tackle the streets of Clitheroe without using his eyes to highlight how blind people struggle with bollards, shop signs and badly parked cars.

The East Lancashire politician is taking part in a blindfold walk to demonstrate the negative impact of street obstacles on the visually impaired.

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He will set off from the Clitheroe Conservative offices in Railway View on Saturday at 10am and attempt to negotiate his way through the town.

Mr Evans said: “It’s a big challenge and I am looking forward to it. It will educate me for the better.

“I don’t think people fully appreciate the obstacles and challenges blind and partially-sighted people face, like street furniture and bumping into pedestrians.

“It’s important we understand the issues and look at ways in which they can be tackled.”

The event is part of Street Accessibility Fortnight of Action, organised by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

Campaigners will be sharing their experiences and calling on local authorities to sit down with them and create a ‘street charter’ for their area.

Michael Tupper, a local campaigner supporting the walk, said: “As a blind guide dog user living in Clitheroe, the obstacles I encounter most are cars parked on pavements, overhanging branches, uneven pavements and obstructions caused by advertising boards.

“It is important that the local authority understand the problems these cause for myself and other blind and partially-sighted people and work alongside us to address them.”

RNIB chief executive Lesley-Anne Alexander said: “If decision makers understand how blind and partially-sighted people navigate the streets, they could help tackle one of the biggest barriers faced today by people with sight loss.

“We hope the fortnight of action will encourage local authorities to engage with blind and partially-sighted people in their area and develop a street charter that puts a clear highway policy at the heart of it.”

There are more than two million people in the UK affected by sight loss, with someone new starting to lose their vision every 15 minutes.