A former jockey is suing Cheltenham Racecourse after a fall left him seriously injured.

Philip Hide was injured whilst participating in the two mile long Letheby and Christopher Novice’s Handicap Hurdle at Prestbury Park, Cheltenham. He was riding the horse Hatch A Plan when it fell at the first of the hurdles in the race back in November of 2006.

Mr Hide suffered a serious injury in the incident and he later had to retire for medical reasons. After his retirement, he was forced to undergo a hip replacement operation because of his injuries. He also faces the prospect of possibly having to undergo the same procedure again in the future.

The Gloucestershire Echo reports that he is now seeking compensation from the owners of Cheltenham Racecourse. His team are said to be arguing that serious injury could have been prevented if the metal post he hit had not been concreted into the ground.

Legal papers have been submitted to court, and the case looks set to be heard at some point in the future.

Philip Hide ran his first winner as a jockey back in 1991, and had ridden the winner in well over 400 races during his career. He now works as an assistant racehorse trainer.

The five star Gleneagles Hotel may have to pay compensation in excess of £200,000, after more than one hundred guests and staff were struck down by a diarrhoea and sickness bug.

The Daily Record is reporting that the luxury hotel, which will be the venue for the 2014 Ryder Cup golf tournament, could be liable for any medical expenses and possible loss of earnings suffered by the victims of the potentially lethal virus.

A health protection team from the NHS and officers from the environmental health department are investigating what caused the outbreak and are working closely with the hotel, to implement all the recommended infection control measures.

A spokeswoman from the hotel confirmed that a mixture of staff, guests and residents had been affected, adding that infected guests were asked to stay in their rooms, while any staff members showing symptoms were sent home for a period of at least forty eight hours.

The highly infectious norovirus bug which can be spread by hand to hand contact or by contaminated food stuffs, is the most common gastric illness in the United Kingdom, affecting upwards of 600,000 people every year.

A spokesperson from NHS Tayside stated that the majority of those affected by the outbreak had made a full recovery, with only two or three still suffering the adverse affects of the illness.

Two brothers are reported to be considering legal action after suffering injuries in a gas explosion.

Amjad and Azmat Iqbal were involved in the blast that happened in Shelton, Staffordshire last week. They were sat in their van when an empty terrace house exploded due to a gas leak.

The brothers’ van was pelted in debris from the house. The vehicle was filled with building dust, and bricks landing on the roof caused it to cave in. Both of them suffered minor injuries in the incident, and needed treatment by ambulance staff for cuts and back pain, amongst other things.

The brother’s also reportedly had £10,000 worth of frozen poultry in the van from their delivery business. The Sentinel newspaper now reports that the pair are considering legal action over the incident.

Azmat Iqbal tells the paper that he believes the National Grid and Stoke-on-Trent City Council took too long to act on the smell of gas coming from the house. Local residents had reportedly previously contacted the National Grid to inform them of the smell of gas coming from the property.

The explosion reduced the house to rubble, and a pregnant woman who was in one of the neighbouring houses also required medical treatment.

A man was nearly paralysed after tripping and falling on a broken pavement in Brigg.

Cecil Hurst was injured whilst walking along Springs Parade whilst out shopping. He tripped over broken paving and fell to the floor.

Mr Hurst suffered a nasty injury in the fall and was unable to move his arms. He was rushed to Scunthorpe General Hospital for treatment and x-rays. There they found that he had suffered a spinal injury and he was transferred to a specialist department at Hull Royal Infirmary.

After undergoing an MRI scan, it was found that Mr Hurst was suffering from a swollen spine, although luckily his spinal cord was not damaged. He was told that the swelling was just 5mm from his spinal cord, and that he was very lucky not to be left paralysed.

Mr Hurst spent a week in hospital recovering from his fall, and taking medication to reduce the swelling in his spine. Now, the Scunthorpe Telegraph is reporting that he has expressed his sincere thanks to everyone who helped him with his accident. This includes members of the public – including a first aider – who helped at the scene, and the medical staff at hospital.

A grave digger has received compensation of £65,672 after falling into a burial plot at a cemetery.

The unnamed man was employed by Birmingham City Council at the time of the accident. He was preparing a burial plot when he fell. He suffered an injury to his right knee in the accident and sought compensation from his employers.

The grave digger fell into the ground when the burial chamber collapsed. This collapse was deemed to be the fault of Birmingham City Council for allowing an unsafe system of work.

The details of his case are reported by the Sunday Mercury, who made a Freedom of Information Request to the council for details of compensation claims they had been involved in between 2010 and 2011.

Other noticeable reported cases include that of a school worker who was awarded £100,000. This worker had suffered a back injury after slipping on food on the floor of the school’s dinner hall.

Two other cases saw school workers receive £19,890 and £17,905 compensation respectively. The first case involved a fractured knee injury after a fall on an un-gritted icy path, whilst the second case involved a trip over raised carpet edging strip and a defective floor.

An oil worker, who was kidnapped and held at gunpoint for seven days, is seeking £250,000 in compensation.

Gordon Gray from Perthshire was employed as an offshore installation manager for oil company Dolphin Drilling, when the incident happened in March 2007. He was sent to an oil rig in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, when the incident happened.

Whilst he was on the rig, a gang armed with guns and machetes boarded and kidnapped Mr Gray. He spent seven days in fear for his life, before he was handed over to Nigerian government officials. It is unclear whether a ransom was paid by his employers or not.

Now, the Scotsman reports that he is seeking compensation for his ordeal from his former employers. Mr Gray suffered minor physical injuries from the incident, caused by beatings from his captors. However, the episode has left him severely traumatised.

His team are seeking £250,000 compensation for Mr Gray, claiming that the company failed to take reasonable steps to protect his safety and stop him being kidnapped. Less than a year before Mr Gray’s kidnap, eight foreign workers (including six Britons) were kidnapped from the same oil rig, and held captive for two days.

The case looks set to be decided in court later this year.

A woman, who allegedly suffered burns to her scalp after visiting the hairdressers, is seeking compensation of £30,000.

Leigh Lumsden visited hairdresser Kim McNally back in June 2010. She went to the salon to have her hair returned to her natural blonde colour. Her hair had previously been dyed black.

However, the Express reports that Ms Lumsden allegedly suffered burns to her scalp from the chemicals that were used in her treatment. These chemicals also reportedly caused parts of her hair to turn a gingery/yellow colour, and other parts to fall out completely.

The process also allegedly caused Ms Lumsden to suffer a trichonodosis condition. This causes the hair to knot and split.

The newspaper states that Ms Lumsden is now seeking £30,000 in a hairdresser negligence claim. In papers submitted to court, it is claimed that the experience left her with anxiety issues about her appearance and future visits to hairdressers. She also had to buy extensions to try and cover the damage, as well as seek advice on how to rectify the problems.

Hairdresser Ms McNally is defending the claim, arguing that Ms Lumsden refused to undergo a test of the colour stripping chemical before the treatment was given.

A rise in the number of accidents involving mobility scooters has prompted the police to offer free training lessons.

South Yorkshire Police have taken this unusual step after seeing 28 accidents involving mobility scooters in the last five years. 17 of the 28 accidents resulted in fatalities or injuries, which works out at a staggering 60%. The force believes that there are many more accidents that go unreported.

Many mobility scooters are legal to drive on UK roads despite the fact that they only have a top speed of 8mph. Having third-party insurance or a license is not compulsory for mobility scooter drivers, but just like car drivers they can be held legally liable for compensation if their negligent actions cause an injury in an accident.

The free lessons put on by South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership and Parkgate Mobility will teach the participants basic driving skills as well as highlight legal requirements. Example practical aspects of the course will see participants navigate their scooter around an obstacle course. A spokesperson for the police force stated to reporters that the aim of the lessons is to help users maintain their independence whilst improving their safety on the roads and in public areas.

Dates for the free two hour course – titled Scooter Safe – have not yet been announced. Anyone interested in attending should contact South Yorkshire Police on 01709 832455 for more details.

A record settlement for a woman who was mis-sold payment protection insurance has been reached.

Harrogate News reports that a member of the public who was sold two PPI policies in the 1990s has had their reclaim cases settled. The policies were sold to her by a credit card company when she took out their cards.

In a case that took around 6 months to complete, the woman managed to reclaim £142,000 in insurance charges. The scale of the payment is thought to be a record, the highest to be made in the UK.

The Financial Services Authority has reported that in the second half of last year there were 977,510 complaints made about payment protection insurance. The FSA also reports that during the same period, £2.1 billion was paid out in redress to those mis-sold insurance policies and PPI.

It is claimed an estimated 3 million people or more have been affected by a mis-sold PPI policy. The policies were intended to cover payments if the purchaser fell ill or became unemployed. However, they were sold to many people who were not covered in the policy, for example retired people and the self–employed. In some cases, PPI policies were attached to loans without the client’s knowledge or they were wrongly told they were compulsory.

The total PPI compensation paid out for all the mis-sold policies could reach an estimated £9 billion pounds.

Those affected can make a claim themselves or use a PPI claims company.

A pilot has won over £100,000 in compensation after a terrifying crash in a microlight aeroplane.

Jim Martin was flying over Northumberland when the incident happened in December 2007. He was flying steadily at 1,000ft, when without warning the tail of the microlight aircraft snapped off, causing the plane to plunge to the ground.

Mr Martin’s skill as a pilot saw him somehow able to ground the plane on a golf course near Morpeth. Both Jim and his passenger – Jon Ker – suffered serious injuries in the crash.

Mr Martin suffered broken bones in both of his legs, his arm, ankle and jaw. He also suffered a fractured skull in the horrific crash. His passenger, Mr Ker, broke both of his legs as well as suffering a brain injury.

The crash was investigated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch who found that aluminium bolts used in the tail of the microlight had eroded.

The Evening Chronicle is reporting that both Mr Martin and Mr Ker have received six-figure compensation payouts from the manufacturer of the aircraft, Dyn’ Aero. The French company initially denied liability for the accident, but the paper reports that both cases are now settled.

Mr Martin – who describes the last five years to the newspaper as “a mental and physical battle” – now works in the United Arab Emirates, training emergency helicopter crews.