Accident claims against councils for tripping on loose paving stones have been steadily rising. The number of complaints triggered councils to introduce legislation a few years ago meaning that if the stone was broken within the past 48 hours, no compensation was owed. This reflected the reasoning that the authorities could not possibly have had time to fix the issue.
 
However, lots of paving stones lie broken for long periods of time, costing Rochdale council a total of £2.5 million in compensation since 2003. Over 1400 people have received compensation
for their injuries caused by broken or loose paving stones. That works out at an average of £1800 per claim.
 
In Manchester, the cost is estimated to be as high as £5 million, with tax payers bearing the brunt of the cost. Graham Stringer, an MP in Manchester blames Britain’s growing compensation culture. Others feel that the issue is that councils are basically not doing to maintain their streets.
 
A spokesman for the council offers his defence: “the figures actually show that the number of claims is reducing year on year. Our main concern is public safety & minimising the risk of injury to the public so they continue to regularly inspect highways & footpaths in line with the recommendations of the highways maintenance code of practice & put right any defects as quickly as feasible."
 
It appears from this statement that the council are not blaming a ‘claims culture’ & are improving their streets in response to the recent claims. This is surely the best outcome for all, with the streets safer for the public & compensation payouts less frequent for the council.