Slipped in the Street? Get Free Legal Advice

Compensation for Slipping or Tripping on a Pavement

Our firm has particular expertise in claiming compensation for pedestrians injured in the street. We have successfully represented hundreds of clients in these specialist claims.

Under The Highways Act 1980, local councils are responsible for maintaining pavements in a safe condition for pedestrians. Often however, budget constraints and the resulting lack of resources, means that councils are unable to fulfill their maintenance duties, and members of the public trip and injure themselves on broken and damaged pavements as a direct result. The frequency of inspections and repairs by the local council will depend on where the pavement is located, and its level of daily footfall. Records of inspections, maintenance, complaints and recent accidents must be compiled by local councils, and these can be critical in determining whether or not an injured person has a legitimate claim.

  • What Causes Tripping Accidents on Pavements?
  • What Evidence Will Help Me Claim for Tripping on a Pavement?
  • The Highway Authority Must Inspect and Maintain Pavements
For a claim to succeed, it will be necessary to show that a defect such as a pothole had a depth of at least 1 inch / 2.5 centimetres, or that the raised edge of a broken paving stone protruded to or above that height. Courts take the realistic view that pavements cannot be expected to always be perfectly level, and as a consequence there needs to be a significant defect of this kind for a tripping accident claim against a local council to succeed. Apart from potholes and cracked paving slabs, damaged drain or manhole covers can also cause accidents, as can recent building work, such as when a utility company raises a pavement to access water mains or electric cables, and in the process creates a tripping hazard.
If you have tripped on a pavement and been injured, there are various measures you can take that will benefit your chances of making a successful compensation claim. Once an accident is reported, councils may act quickly to repair the defect, therefore you should take photos from different angles as soon as possible following a tripping accident, to make sure that the evidence is not lost. To illustrate the depth or height of the flaw in the pavement, a ruler, small coin or match box can be positioned alongside it in the photos. The physical location of the accident can also be verified by taking a photo of the surrounding buildings or street name in relation to the damaged pavement. All this will assist your solicitor in assembling evidence in support of your claim.
To prove liability for an accident, it will be necessary to show that the Highway Authority failed to adequately maintain a pavement. The Highway Authority will normally inspect a street and its pavements for maintenance issues every 6 months, depending on how busy the route is, and are expected to keep inspection records to prove this. When a pedestrian trips over on a pavement, is injured, and decides to make a claim, their solicitor will request and examine the inspection records to show when the pavement was last checked and whether any hazards were identified. If the pavement had not been inspected for an unreasonably long period of time, or if a potential danger was recorded but no steps to repair it were taken, then a claim is likely to succeed.

Why Choose Bartletts Solicitors?

Solid Traditional Values Delivered
in a Modern Convenient Manner


Every year we help over a thousand injured people make claims for compensation on a no win no fee basis. Many of these claims are for slips and falls.

Our service is designed to be easy to use: meetings by phone & email, local medical appointments, sign documents online, or visit our city centre offices.

Our solicitors are very experienced in slips claims having worked at the firm for an average of 18 years.

Bartletts Solicitors was managed by John Bartlett for over 40 years, the last 25 of which he was assisted by Trevor Morris. Trevor is now the managing director, representing continuity for the firm’s traditional values and customer satisfaction ethos.


Send Our Slip & Fall Team an Enquiry:
(or give us a call on 0151 227 3391)


Personal Injury Team:

Our personal injury solicitors (Nicola Perry, Joe Smith, Sian Taylor and Anthony Hunt) are real specialists each with years of experience.

Call now for your free consultation. We guarantee you a warm welcome and a lawyer with the expertise that you would expect from a leading personal injury firm.





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“I was delighted Bartletts Solicitors continued their tradition of philanthropy with Liverpool Cathedral this year. Thank you so much for your generous gift.” - The Dean of Liverpool, The Very Revd Dr. Sue Jones (Dec 2020)