Council 'could face compensation claims in the near future'

Ashfield District Council could be in danger of facing cases of compensation claims being brought against it for injuries caused by slipping and tripping, a new report has suggested.

According to the Hucknall Dispatch, a water leak has been spilling on to a street in the town of Hucknall for around two years now, meaning that it creates a health hazard during the winter as the escaping fluid freezes to form what one resident describes as a "deadly ice skating rink".

The anonymous woman who lives on the affected road told the news source that a female launched a bid for damages after falling on the offending ice earlier this year.

She added that despite several complaints, the local authority and Severn Trent Water - the firm which serves eight million people in central areas of the UK and controls the pipe - had done nothing to resolve the issue.

"It is ridiculous. It started as a trickle two years ago but has just got gradually worse," the woman went on to say.

Posted by Patrick White
 

20/12/2010 16:52