AN elderly woman cracked her ribs and broke bones in her hand after tripping over a pothole in Neilston.

The pensioner was unable to stand up after winding herself and falling into the middle of Double Hedges Road as she left her granddaughter’s house late at night.

Fortunately for her, a group of young men happened to be walking by at the time of the incident on Saturday, August 12 and were able to help the shaken woman to her feet.

Although the injured woman has asked to remain anonymous, a search is on to find and praise those who rushed to her aid as she lay in agony.

One of the young men who helped her out was wearing a dark jumper and dark trousers at the time.

Facebook users were quick to credit the youths for helping the lady out, with one writing: “Lovely to hear that it was a couple of young gentlemen who helped her, I hope they are found and named and get the praises they deserve, as for the state of the roads, shocking.”

Another added: “Kudos to the boys and hope your gran feels better soon.”

However, calls have since been made online for the local authority to repair the stretch of road where the pensioner fell to avoid similar instances happening in the future.

A East Renfrewshire Council (ERC) spokeswoman told the Barrhead News the local authority has since launched an investigation into the incident.

She said: “We are aware of this matter but cannot discuss specific details due to ongoing proceedings.”

The incident comes after ERC asked residents to decide how £600,000 should be shared between infrastructure projects across four areas – including roads in Neilston.