EXCLUSIVE: Nearly €6m paid out by Louth County Council insurers for 'slips, trips and falls'

Louth County Council and its insurers have forked out nearly €6m in compensation claims for “trips and slips” in public places over the past five years alone, according to figures obtained by The Democrat via a Freedom Of Information request.

The eye-watering total for the years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 comes in at a hefty €5,917,805.

2016 proved to be the most expensive year from the council's insurer’s point of view with a total compensation payout of €1,548,174, while the following year, 2017, was the least expensive during the five year period with an outlay of €979,093 for such claims.

The most recent year, 2018, ran in a total of €1,195,655 in compensation claims for “slipping/tripping” in a public place. 2014 topped €1,018,794, while 2015 came in at €1,176,089.

The yearly figures include an excess paid for each year and the figures also include legal fees paid out to claimants and/or the Council’s own legal fees. The request received by the Democrat also revealed the total number of claims that were successfully paid out.

For the five years in question, 215 compensation claims were paid out, with 2016 being the heaviest year in this regard with 53 claims.