THE £800,000 payout to a Chorley teaching assistant shows just how ridiculous this country's compensation culture has become.

People who are injured at work through no fault of their own may well deserve financial recompense but payouts should be kept in proportion to reality.

Lancashire County Council has had to fork out almost £1m to Julie Huddart, including legal fees, and this at a time of swingeing budget cuts leading to services being chopped.

Victims of crime and members of our armed forces regularly receive derisory sums for their injuries yet here a woman has given this huge payout after tripping and injuring a finger and shoulder.

I sympathise with her on-going problems but the compensation culture has got out of hand.The balance between 'blame' and' responsibility' is completely out of kilter.

Sometimes in life accidents happen and there is no-one to blame.

Paul Nuttall, UKIP North West MEP