A woman who suffered a broken leg after a fall in a pub’s smoking area was awarded £18,000 compensation.

The accident happened in 2007 as the 40 year old woman went to the back of the Albion pub to have a cigarette. The stiletto heel of her shoe caught in the broken concrete in the smoking area and as a result she fell through an unsealed door as she attempted to stop herself from falling over.

The injury she suffered has meant her undergoing three operations, requiring her to have pins inserted into her knee and she has been unable to walk properly since the last operation which she underwent 2 months ago.

The solicitor who represented Ms Gilder said that the designated smoking area was poorly constructed and the concrete broken and it was on these grounds she was making a compensation claim. She denied that the claim was a result of the claim culture and said that the injury had caused her client genuine hardship.

Ms Gilder had been unable to work for several months, had undergone a number of operations and has suffered scarring.

The pub’s insurers agreed to settle after seeing medical evidence.