PERSONAL injury claims cost the council almost £100,000 in taxpayer money in the last five years.

105 compensation claims were made to Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) by people who suffered, trips, slips or falls in council-owned buildings or in public spaces in this period.

However, only thirteen of these were successful.

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A News investigation found the largest BFC payout from the last five financial years came in 2014/2015, when the authority forked out a staggering £22,500 to one aggrieved individual.

This meant BFC forked out £32,000 in total this year, the highest fee from all five years.

Recent years have seen a big drop in injury payouts, however, with £30,000 shelled out by April 2016, £22,000 by April 2017, £10,000 by April 2018 and just £2,500 by April 2019.

Collectively, the council spent £98,025.29 on compensating injury sufferers from 2014-2019.

Had all 105 claims been successful, the council could have been forced to part with more than £600,000 altogether.

Neighbouring authority Wokingham Borough Council shelled out £138,000 in the same five year period.

Andrew Hunter, Director of Place, Planning and Regeneration at BFC, said: “The safety of our residents is always our foremost priority, and we work constantly to ensure our public spaces, paths and roads are safe.

“We have a dedicated team who continually inspect all council-owned roads and footpaths within the borough to identify defects, and ensure they are dealt with swiftly.”

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National Accident Helpline managing director Tom Fitzgerald told the News people who injure themselves in public spaces can suffer financially and emotionally.

He added: “It’s right that someone injured in an accident which wasn’t their fault is able to claim compensation to help them get back on their feet.

“With accidents in a public place, the highway authority is responsible for checking for defects and repairing them within a reasonable time.

“If you are injured in an accident in a public space, we would recommend taking photographs of the scene of the accident to show the circumstances.

“These details can be used to put together a claim, which will bring attention to the issue.

“This could lead to the defect being addressed, which will stop other people from being injured in the same way.”

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