A survey has revealed that top tourist attractions in Britain have paid out millions in compensation and legal costs for slips and trips over the last five years.
The survey was conducted by the Sunday Telegraph and covered 24 organisations responsible for hundreds of tourist attractions, including museums, country houses and castles.
In one of the largest claims, a woman who hurt her hip in a revolving door at the Victoria and Albert Museum won £23,651. Carlisle Castle paid out £15,000 to a woman who fell into a moat and suffered hip and pelvic injuries.
In an accident at Tate Modern in London, Kate Phillips, 63, was going down a slide that formed part of an art installation. Even though she followed the safety instructions and crossed her hands in front of her, she broke several bones in her hand and was unable to drive, write or type for two months. She received £3,500 in damages after making a claim against the gallery.
Another visitor to Tate Modern was awarded compensation after she injured her foot on an artwork that comprised a gaping crevice in the floor.
Other locations at which people were injured and successfully claimed compensation include the Tower of London, Snowdonia National Park and many canal and river bank areas that are the property of British Waterways. One successful claim was for £150 to cover vets’ fees after a dog fell into a hole at Pendennis Castle in Cornwall.