Councils count the £3.2m cost of falls on Scotland's streets

The compensation payments totalled about 3.2 million over the past five years and range from 721,000 in South Lanarkshire to about 17,000 in Orkney.

The figures, obtained by The Scotsman through freedom of information laws, include a payout of 1,700 to one man who fell off his bike in Inverclyde. The same council paid out 4,500 to another member of the public who fell on "uneven cobbles" at the edge of a road.

A spokeswoman for the Taxpayers Alliance said yesterday: "It's worrying that millions of pounds is being drained away by these pay-outs. Sadly there is a growing blame and compensation culture in society these days, but this does not let the council totally off the hook.

"Households already pay council tax to keep roads and pavements in good shape, if they were properly maintained in the first place then taxpayers wouldn't have to pay out again for compensation claims."

Potholes have also cost Glasgow more than 16,000 in recent years after a series of claims ranging from "toe strains" to an ankle fracture. In total, Glasgow has paid out 250,000 over the past five years in compensation.

A council spokesman said: "These figures reflect the council's policy of deciding compensation claims on their individual merits.

"They also reflect the scale of our roads and footpath network, the level of use and the fact there are 20,000 utility openings in the city every year."

Scottish councils were forced to slash spending by 450m earlier this year as public sector cuts began to bite in their budgets for 2011-12. Thousands of jobs and a host of vital services were axed prompting protests outside council offices.

A spokeswoman for South Lanarkshire Council said its 721,000 pay out - more than double the second highest Highland - covered legal and medical fees, as well as the payments.

She added: "We have systems in place to make sure that all claims are assessed very carefully and we closely monitor trends and patterns to limit both the number and value of claims. On the grounds that our claims values are showing a distinct downward trend we are satisfied that our risk management arrangements are working well."

Highland paid out 342,000, although this included two single payments of more than 70,000 in 2006 and 2008.

A Highland Council spokeswoman said: "Since then claims have dropped significantly with only 2,901 paid to a single claimant in 2009-2010."

Fife paid out 239,000 and West Lothian's bill was 232,000 - compared with 56,000 in nearby Midlothian.

A total of 24 of the country's 32 councils replied to The Scotsman's FOI request.

PRICE OF A SHORT TRIP

Some of the pay-outs to the public for falling over include:

SOUTH AYRSHIRE: 6,500 to someone who tripped over a raised manhole cover

GLASGOW: 3,000 to one member of the public who suffered an ankle strain after a fall caused by a pothole.

GLASGOW: 1,000 after a fall caused by broken paving stones left the person with "strained toes".

INVERCLYDE: 9,500 to someone who was left with a bruised hand after falling on an uneven pavement.

FIFE: A payout of 6,250 to one member of the public who suffered bruising and a sprain on a defective road.

ABERDEENSHIRE: 8,688 was paid to one claimant who suffered a a strain/sprain injury after an accident on an uneven footpath.