Chiltern Railways have been forced to pay compensation of £10,000 after failing to mend a roof which had leaked for at least two years. Mr Richard Wilmot, from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, slipped and broke his right shoulder on the station concourse as he approached the ticket barrier at Marylebone station. Mr Wilmot was assisted with his claim by his union, PCS, and Thompsons Solicitors.

Liability was denied by Chiltern Railways despite the fact that their own documentation, obtained by Thompsons Solicitors, showed that the leaking roof had been present for at least two years prior to the accident, which happened in November 2004.

“I was in a lot of pain, off work for two months and received physiotherapy to try and get my shoulder back to normal,” said Mr Wilmot. “It could have happened to anyone. It’s ironic because I was travelling with my wife who had a medical appointment in London, yet I was the one who ended up in hospital. Chiltern Railways dragged this out but I hope now that they’ve fixed the roof to avoid anyone else suffering with injury.”

Mr Wilmot’s representative at Thompsons Solicitors, Angela Smart, said: “Chiltern Railways owed a duty of care to my client as well as everyone else walking along their platforms. By simply ignoring a known leak, they put Mr Wilmot and other passengers at risk. We had to push this towards a trial before they eventually decided to settle out of court.”