Councils Pay Out Millions for Trips and Slips

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act have revealed that Councils across the east of England have paid out £6 million over the last six years in compensation for pavement trips and slips. This figure excludes legal fees.

Hertfordshire County Council was at the head of the list, having paid out £828,233. However, this figure included all trips, slips and falls, not just those resulting from uneven pavements. In the last five years the Council has received 1,700 claims, of which 80 per cent were settled without payment to the claimant.

Hertfordshire was closely followed by Suffolk County Council, which has paid out £821,042. Cambridgeshire County Council, meanwhile, has compensated injured individuals to the tune of £640,862. It had an average of 300 claims a year made against it. Norfolk County Council has paid out £732,211 in the last six years to people tripping over pavements.

However, the region’s Councils say that the majority of claims against them were rejected. One such unsuccessful claim was made by Leslie Yardy, 78, who stumbled on an edging stone in a Council car park and broke his leg. Norwich County Court dismissed his claim when it was heard in August 2006.

Others have, however, been more successful. Margaret Bell brought a claim against Northamptonshire County Council after she tripped because of a hole in a path and broke both her wrists. She received £8,000 in damages.

The amount of compensation awarded for the trips and slips varied considerably. One successful claim in Essex, brought by a person who had fallen over an uneven paving slab, resulted in an award of £43,000, whilst other claims settled were for much smaller sums.