TELFORD & WREKIN Council has forked out nearly £700,000 in compensation to people who have tripped over on borough footpaths in the last five years, it was revealed today.

The data, released under the Freedom of Information Act, put the council 34th out of the 90 highest-paying local authorities that were examined.

It was revealed that the council paid out £685,450 in compensation and spent more than £3million maintaining borough footpaths over the same period.

The figures have sparked fears the council could be caught in a “vicious circle” if planned Government cutbacks, which may see spending cuts on footpaths.

Whitehall has written to councils asking for their help in identifying savings that would limit job losses.

Rise

Mark Brickles, CEO of itsmyclaim.com, a consumer claims service that conducted the Freedom of Information request, said he feared the figure would rise.

He said: “Ambulance chasers are literally tripping over themselves to win the lucrative custom of personal injury victims, with some paying middlemen up to £1,000 as a referral fee.

“With huge spending cuts on the horizon, which themselves will no doubt impact highway repairs and improvements, this figure is only set to rise. Effectively, taxpayers will find themselves in a position where their taxes will be spent on rising volumes of claims.”

He added: “The councils are going to get caught in a vicious circle because the footpaths and roads aren’t going to be repaired quick enough and as a result the number of claims will rise.”

The TaxPayers’ Alliance said taxpayers cash was being squandered.

Council leader Andrew Eade said investment in roads and footpaths was a priority. “We have already committed record investment to improving this infrastructure of around £14 million,” he said. “However, we are also aware that the country’s financial future is very uncertain and consequently there will be pressures on such budgets. Consequently the picture won’t become much clearer until the Comprehensive Spending Review later this year.”

The figures do not include court costs.

By Alex James