Early this month the pushchair manufacturer McLaren agreed to pay compensation to more than 40 British families whose children have suffered injury as a result of a faulty folding and hinge system. The children, aged between one and eight years, suffered varying degrees of injury ranging from lacerations to the loss of a fingertip. McLaren has not admitted liability – but has agreed to pay full compensation to all children affected and it is expected this will range from £2,500 to £10,000.

The firm previously withdrew 1 million products in the USA in 2009 following similar complaints. When the McLaren story reached the UK it sparked a number of calls to the BBC and other media and consumer organisations from parents who had experienced similar problems. McLaren stated at the time that the fault did not affect UK products and subsequently provided hinge covers for (more…)

A cyclist has received £10,000 compensation, for personal injuries sustained cycling over a pothole, following his successful claim against Bellway County Council.

Cyclist, Mr Paul Jones, took his County Council to Court as they had failed to take any action to repair the damage caused to the roads following the exceptionally harsh winter and heavy snow experienced earlier this year.

On the evening of 1st March, Mr Jones was cycling home from work, on the busy B1234, when the front wheel of his bicycle caught in a 10” deep pothole and catapulted Mr Jones into the path of an oncoming vehicle. The driver of the vehicle, Mrs Molly Smith, braked hard and swerved quickly, narrowly avoiding hitting Mr Jones. Mr Jones’s red Raleigh bicycle was (more…)

Motorists are being advised to remain on the lookout for potholes. According to recent reports, compensation claims for damages caused by the poor state of Britain’s roads are soaring.

Local authorities have a duty to keep the roads in good repair but overstretched budgets, coupled with this winter’s severe weather conditions, have meant that more and more potholes are appearing on our roads. According to AA estimates, this winter’s freezing temperatures could have pushed the number of potholes in the UK up to a staggering 1.5 million.

Edmund King, President of the AA says:

“Once again the fabric of our local roads is a major cause for concern with surfaces crumbling (more…)

Corby Borough Council will pay out over a million pounds in personal injury compensation after a High Court ruling that it disposed of toxic waste from a local steelworks in a negligent manner, which resulted in a number of birth defects in the area due to toxic waste exposure.

According to the BBC News website, one of the families to make a successful personal injury compensation claim against the council is that of 18 year old George Taylor, who has had much of his right hand removed due to tumours after his mother was exposed to the toxic waste dumped from the steelworks whilst pregnant.

Taylor, and 18 further children affected by illness and physical defects from the toxic waste, will share between them an out of court settlement estimated at a total of more than one million pounds.

The lawsuit arises from a situation in the early 1980s, when Corby Borough Council bought former (more…)

Claims made by drivers against Havering Council have almost tripled in 12 months, after the council failed to maintain road surfaces adequately during the recent cold winter weather. Drivers taking action against the council could claim thousands of pounds each in compensation for damage done to their vehicles by potholes.

In the year to date, 87 of these claims have been received by the council. This contrasts with only 34 claims received in the previous year from March 2008 to February 2009.

The council has been criticised for failing to spend its annual road repair budget last year, despite the icy weather that led to appalling road conditions and damaged vehicles. It has emerged that the repairs budget was (more…)