This week’s Case of the Week concerns our client who tripped on a pavement which was the responsibility of the local council.  As a result she was badly injured.

The local council denied it was to blame, arguing that they had a system for regular inspection and had not found any dangerous defects prior to the incident.

Interestingly following the accident the local council repaired and resurfaced the area. Rather than conceding fault, the council simply stated it was its policy to do so after anyone was injured.

The case went to trial in the face of continued deniability by the council.

The Judge who heard all of the evidence found the area where our client tripped was a hazard and the local council had not done all that was reasonably to minimise the risk of injury. He found in our client’s favour and awarded her compensation.

Speaking after the trial Deborah Roberts from Thompsons Solicitors said: “It is not reasonable to expect individuals to study every foot they place on the ground in case there is an uneven paving stone or worn tarmac, and local councils should ensure dangerous defects are repaired and not left as accidents waiting to happen”.