Woman denied compensation after manhole fall

Georgina Heyburn has been denied compensation after the accident

A council has refused to compensate a woman who broke her shoulder after falling into a manhole.

Georgina Heyburn, 47, was walking her two dogs in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in January when she tried to walk around a loose manhole cover but slipped and dropped into the hole.

Her solicitor made a formal claim for compensation to Buckinghamshire Council for the hairline fracture to her shoulder, as well as the ongoing pain and difficulties travelling that the accident has caused her.

The local authority has refused to pay out, telling her it was not aware the manhole was faulty at the time of her fall.

The council have since repaired the manhole cover

An email from the council’s claims department, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, read: “To clarify, your claim was investigated on the basis that the cover did belong to Buckinghamshire Council.

“But we have a defence in law as we had no knowledge prior to your incident that the cover was misplaced or defective.”

The council told the Aylesbury resident that she had a right to appeal their decision or could refer the matter to the Local Government Ombudsman.

Ms Heyburn said: “This shows they don’t care about their residents of Aylesbury."