Payouts dwarf sums for British heroes

INJURED British troops can receive as little as a few thousand pounds in compensation for serious injuries sustained in conflict.

Some servicemen and women who suffered fractured skulls fighting for their country have only received £5,775 from the taxpayer.

In one case, a former signaller with the Royal Corps of Signals received £10,000 for three injuries, including speech processing difficulties, posttraumatic stress disorder and skull lacerations.

Families of soldiers killed in conflict do not routinely receive compensation unless they can prove negligence by the Ministry of Defence.

Payouts for injuries range from £1,200 to £570,000, depending on the extent of a soldier’s pain and suffering.

According to Whitehall guidelines, typically a soldier who has lost one leg below the knee receives £1 0,000 in compensation. Permanent nerve damage however would only see them given £ 0,000 as a lump sum. A wound to the right arm would merit £3,000. A blast injury to the ears would lead to an award of £6,000 in compensation. For multiple facial fractures an individual would be given £15,500.

Shrapnel fragmentation to the head and neck triggers a £10,000 payout while burns to the chest are ‘worth’ £1,200.

Troops with a fractured ankle would be given £ 0,000.