DAMAGED pavements and roads have cost the council more than £850,000 in compensation over the last three years, new figures reveal.

Civic Centre bosses shelled out a whopping £503,875 to people injuring themselves on the borough's streets during 2006/7.

However, payouts have fallen significantly in the last two years, with such claims costing the council £268,990 for 2007/8 and £85,650 so far for the last financial year.

Hounslow Council received a total of 294 compensation claims for tripping injuries between 2006/7 and 2008/9, according to figures obtained by the Chronicle under the Freedom of Information Act.

Although many of those claims would have been rejected, the average payout per claim still works out at nearly £3,000.

The Chronicle reported last month how Whitton Dene had so many potholes some drivers were avoiding the Whitton Road altogether, although the council has assured residents repairs will take place soon.

Petitions about three more 'faulty' roads – Waye Avenue, Cranford; Gresham Road, Hounslow; and the road leading to Clements Court, Hounslow - were considered at last Thursday's Heston & Cranford area committee meeting.

However, officers said that, although there were faults with all three roads, they were not in a sufficiently bad state to present a legal risk to the council and, therefore, refurbishment was not recommended.

Hounslow recently won a £267 million PFI (private finance initiative) bid to fund work on streets and highways over the next 25 years, but repairs as part of the scheme are not set to begin until early 2013.

In a report prepared for last Thursday's meetings, officers admitted there was a 'backlog of work' but said that until the PFI scheme begins there was only enough funding for 'urgent defect works'.

Lucy Hamdane, of Wellington Road North, Hounslow, tripped on the pavement outside her home on October 2, 2008. The 37-year-old mum-of-two was badly cut and claims to have suffered from 'post-concussion syndrome' for two months after the accident, leaving her confused and unable to remember names.

The footpath - managed by Hounslow Homes, the council's housing arm – was finally repaired earlier this year, but Ms Hamdane is angry the work took so long to complete.

"I've waited 18 months for compensation or an apology and I've yet to receive either," she said. "I'm not very happy that even after I reported my accident it's taken this long to fix the problem."