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Councils have paid staff £75million in compensation for work-related accidents over the last five years alone.
The catalogue of often bizarre payouts includes one of £5,500 for an employee who fell out of bed while answering a work phone call.
Another worker received almost £6,000 after breaking a wrist during a demonstration on a first aid course.
Much of the bill was footed by the taxpayer, as the councils’ insurance companies set their payout thresholds so high.
Manchester City Council, which awarded £2.6million to injured employees, revealed its insurers only paid out if the awards were more than £250,000.
It was one of 13 local authorities which had to pay more than £1million in compensation to staff after admitting liability for accidents.
Birmingham City Council topped the list with 274 payments worth £4.9million, followed by Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, which handed £3million to 152 staff.
Some were for serious injuries and assaults, and some of the biggest payments were to former employees who had developed mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos.
