Compensation payouts for trip or slip claims in Greater Manchester totalled over £7.4m last year according to new figures published today.
Oldham, Salford and Stockport councils were at the top of the list, each paying out over £1m in total to people injured after tripping on potholes or broken pavements.
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Salford council faced the most claims, handing over £1.78m in accident compensation.
The biggest successful individual claim was made against Bolton council, who were ordered to compensate a woman £66,000 after she injured herself falling over a sunken grid.
Matthew Elliott, of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “These compensation payouts are sky high, and will be of great concern to taxpayers.”
However, personal injury lawyer Michael Hardacre said it was wrong to blame a ‘compensation culture’ for the payouts, adding: ”Judges are very good at seeing through fraudulent or spurious claims. The reality is these payouts are to people who have had serious injuries which they have taken a long time to recover from.”
Several councils are putting an end to the policy of making quick pay-outs after a surge in compensation claims. There has also been an increase in the amount they are spending on road repairs. Eight previously unemployed residents in Salford are set to start new jobs helping to repair potholes.
According to Salford council, last year’s compensation bill was actually a huge reduction from 2005, when almost £4m was paid out.
A Stockport council spokesman said: “We have seen footway conditions improved across the borough to address these claims.”
In an ongoing case, a 35-year-old mother-of-three from Blackley is taking legal action against Manchester city council after fracturing her arm in a fall on broken pavement. Her arm has been in plaster for three months, forcing her to take time off work.
She said: “I’m on my own with a mortgage so it was incredibly hard when I couldn’t work. I missed two mortgage payments and had to cancel our first holiday in four years.”