According to figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request, councils across the country have paid out almost half a million pounds to injured pupils in the last three years. Payouts included £21,845 to a student who suffered a playground injury due to ‘inadequate supervision’, and £13,358 to a pupil who suffered injury after having their foot trapped in a defective door.

A mother is suing an Italian waterpark after breaking her back on a waterslide while on holiday to grieve her dead son. 45-year-old Karen Mitchener went on holiday with her family to Italy after losing her son five years ago in a car accident aged 18. During their time in east Italy they visited the Acquaparco Verde Azzurro water park in Marche, but the day ended when Ms Mitchener broke her back on one of the slides.

A man from Colchester, Essex has been left blind in one eye after playing with a toy helicopter inside his flat. 26-year-old Phil Shelgrove had been flying the second-hand toy after purchasing it from a friend. When he accidently pressed the wrong button, however, he directed the toy towards his face, allowing one of the blades to slice his left eyeball.

A 62-year-old woman from Tunbridge Wells has been granted compensation after suffering life-changing injuries in a cycling accident. Fenella Sinclair had been cycling in her local area when a 4x4 passed her on a country lane, grazing the rear wheel of her bicycle. Mrs Sinclair was left with severe brain damage, several skull fractures and damage to her spine and ribs. Four years after the accident, she remains in a minimally conscious state.

It was announced last week that schools could face legal action if their pupils fall ill as a result of air pollution. This comes as part of the Government’s plan to meet the EU limits on air pollution, with potential payouts running into the tens of thousands.