Gateshead council has been ordered to pay £5,000 in compensation to a resident who suffered a fractured ankle after tripping on a payment.
Jack Poundfoot was leaving the council offices when he tripped over a stack of money which had been dropped on the pavement by another resident who was going to pay his annual rate bill (plus arrears).
This is the third time the council has been criticized (and forced to pay compensation) for not clearing up money-strewn pavements.
Gateshead council claim they cannot afford to employ more street cleaners. "Everybody thinks we have piles of money," said the chairman. "We need all these payments to pay for proper pavements."
Other residents have complained about the council mistakenly repaying some 'mislaid' payments to people who have already paid, instead of repairing some pavements that have been mis-layed.
