The cost of claims for injuries to people who trip on Bradford's streets has rocketed to £2.5 million from £600,000 in less than ten years.

And £400,000 of that has been earmarked for solicitors and 'claims farmers' as the compensation industry grows.

Now Bradford Council has introduced tough new tactics to tackle the problem and have already cut the number of speculative claims being made.

The £2.5 million is the total potential of all claims made against the highways department in 2004 alone, the most recent year for which accurate figures are available.

A decade ago the Council received 502 claims, but now there is an average of 920 a year which officials blame on the boom in 'no-win-no-fee' lawyers.

New figures show three out of four claims are overseen by solicitors, compared with just one in four a decade ago. And the cost to the Council of that legal representation has risen tenfold from £40,000 to £400,000.

Gary Davey, one of the Council's insurance and risk experts, said: "Third party costs are now a significant part of any claim. In years gone by they were only a small part."

But he said the Council was now playing tough with speculative claimants to show lawyers that the district wasn't a soft touch.

He said: "Our standard maintenance procedures were challenged by the volume of claims via 'claims farmers' and specialist accident and injury solicitors. Bradford, in conjunction with neighbouring authorities and insurers, has implemented measures to combat this."

The authority's highways department has now:

l appointed a full-time road inspection team of four people who travel the district prioritising emergency work and setting out the timetable for completion

l set up a tough claims process in which all claims are fully investigated and responded to within 90 days

l put tutored staff in court proceedings in case they are called to give evidence, and made sure in-house experts have the final say on whether a financial settlement is made

l brought its highways and insurance staff together to complete full investigations of dubious claims.

And the measures seem to be working.

There was a 30 per cent cut in the number of claims logged against the authority in the south of the district this year.

Mr Davey said: "Safety standards have improved, hazards are quickly identified and treated, records are maintained, performance monitored and highways and footways are safer places for motorists and pedestrians to be."

Javed Mahmood, director of the Claim Centre on Barkerend Road, defended the industry but admitted it had become more difficult to win personal liability claims against the Council.

He also blamed rising costs on public awareness: "The law is clearly on the Council's side in this. It is difficult for us to establish liability. But over the last five years, people have become more aware they can make claims and, as the number of claimants rise, the number of solicitors rise."