TRAPPED FINGER LANDS KID £10K

Compo culture goes crazy

A STUDENT who trapped a finger between two desks at school has won a £10,000 payout.

The payment is part of more than £3MILLION which has been paid to just under 400 students by local authorities in England in the past year.

The pupil, who wants to stay anonymous, was given the compo by North Lincolnshire Council for the finger injury, which occurred at school.

Public spending watchdog The TaxPayers’ Alliance have criticised the amount of money which is paid out and labelled it a “compensation culture”.

Spokesman Robert Oxley said: “Many of these payments are absurdly high for what are quite often ludicrous reasons.

“They are indicative of a compensation culture that has taken root on the playing fields and in the classroom.”

Among other payouts were £16,000 to a pupil who slipped on wet leaves during a PE lesson and fell, £19,500 for a student in who got a leg trapped behind a radiator, and £10,000 for a child who tripped over a tree root.

Ministers have vowed to crack down on the health and safety mindset in schools.

Critics of the current system say legal action is being started for everyday ‘accidents’, and ambulance-chasing lawyers are fostering a culture in schools where children are wrapped in cotton wool and are not allowed to take the risks needed to help them grow up properly.

The total bill to town halls could rise to £6m as lawyers, often on lucrative no-win no-fee deals, can pocket as much for bringing the action as the victim receives for the injury.

On an average school day, education chiefs settle two compensation claims of £7,500 each.

Campaign for Real Education chairman Chris McGovern said: “The compensation culture is completely out of hand. Instead of helping pupils, it harms them.”