Uneven footpaths injure 'countless' older people as Cork City Council pays out €2m in claims

“Countless” people are tripping and falling on the footpaths on Cork city centre's South Mall, with some elderly people seriously injuring themselves, Cork City Council has been warned.

The council has paid out more than €2m in public liability claims from June of last year, and almost two thirds of these relate to footpaths, new data shows.

From the start of June to the end of December 2025, the council paid out over €875,000 in public liability claims to 61 people and from the start of January to July 3 this year, a further €1.2m was paid out to 119 people.

While road claims were the most common, footpath claims made up the majority of the total monies paid out, with an average value of €26,200 awarded per claimant, compared to just under €4,000 for a claim as a result of a pothole or other road issue.

In total, 52 people were paid a combined €1.36m for footpath-related issues, while 105 people were paid out a cumulative €418,000 for issues with roads, including potholes.

Payouts also included €111,000 for 13 claims relating to housing and estates, and €141,000 for eight claims relating to drains and gulleys.

There was one payout totalling just over €31,000 under the heading 'parks and playgrounds', and one for €15,000 under 'council buildings'.

The information was provided to The Echo by Cork City Council, and the council also provided logs of all complaints made about footpaths in the month of May of this year.

One person wrote: “I work on South Mall and have seen countless people trip and fall over the uneven tiling, some even seriously injuring themselves.

“Just today an older man tripped on the uneven footpath and split his eyebrow open and damaged his hand.

“A large majority of the people falling are older people or those with mobility issues.” 

There were two complaints on the same day, May 18, about the surface of the footpath on the corner of MacCurtain St and Patrick’s Hill.

One caller reported that the surface of the pavement had caused them to slip when it was raining.

Another said: “The steps at the bottom of Patrick's Hill and around the pedestrian crossing areas in the same place have a darker grey, smooth tile and also a textured tile. Both are very slippy when there's any rain.” 

In Meelick Park, Ballyvolane, someone reported a damaged footpath outside, following a heavy goods vehicle driving on it, saying that the footpath “presents a significant tripping hazard to pedestrians”.

There was a report of a large hole on Model Farm Road, with the person saying: "It has been left like this for months”, while another said that a whole slab of footpath was missing directly outside Cork City Hall.

Another said that in Nutley Avenue in Blackrock, the concrete has broken, causing a trip hazard, and “a lady walking down the road today had a near miss when her heel went into it.”