Essex County Council faces compensation claims over road falls

Posted 15/06/2010

A number of East Anglia residents are making compensation claims against Essex City Council for personal injuries they sustained on a road in Loughton.

The authority is currently dealing with six separate legal claims from people who have slipped or fallen as a result of poor conditions on Loughton High Road, reports the Waltham Forest Guardian.

One of those involved in the legal action, 49-year-old Mary Goldman, damaged both of her ankles in a trip over a ridge of excess tarmac, which left her unable to walk or work for a month.

The newspaper reports that residents and traders in the area have been calling on the council to make repairs to the road and pavement surfaces “for years”.

Moyna Avery, a local volunteer worker, said: “The pavement is in such a bad state it is very easy for someone to trip or slip.”

It comes after a High Court case concluded this week with a St Albans man winning a multi-million pound compensation claim, after he was left disabled because hazardously-arranged road works caused his bicycle to collide with a lorry.