A HAMPSHIRE man who accepted £15,000 damages after slipping in a public toilet is unable to spend a penny because he has not got the cash.

Kevin Slade landed on the wet floor of the toilets in Winchester injuring his back, which needed hospital treatment and he spent six months off work.

Last month he obtained an out-of-court settlement from Serco, the contractors for the toilets, which did not admit liability and promised to pay up.

But after a flurry of letters and telephone calls from sales executive Mr Slade's solicitors, nothing has been paid.

This is despite a county court judgement on September 12 ordering payment in 14 days.

Serco, which runs a number of services for Winchester City Council, including cleaning toilets and collecting the bins, has said that four to six weeks is a reasonable time to wait for the cash.

The accident happened at the Abbey Gardens lavatories in December 1997.

A furious Mr Slade, 37, from Coulsdon Road in Hedge End, said he has now had to twice cancel a trip to South Africa to visit a sick relative because of the wrangle.

He said: "They owe me £15,000 and they haven't given it to me, despite promises.

"My solicitors have contacted them many times and they have promised to send a cheque or put money in to my lawyer's account, but they haven't.

"On Wednesday they said it would be with my solicitors by Thursday morning but it was not.

"I now have to leave the country on the grounds of seeing a sick relative and I would like the money.

"I am very angry about the way I have been treated but I will get what I am owed."

A spokeswoman for Serco said: "We have agreed the claim and the money will be paid today. I do not believe there has been any hold up. I think it's a reasonable amount of time to wait for payment."

Alan George, a legal executive from Dutton Gregory solicitors, said documents had been handed over to the county sheriffs because Serco was in breach of the order.

He explained that the parties informally had agreed the sum to settle as far back as August.

He said: "We just expected the cheque to follow through after the order.

"We have, insofar as my client is concerned, tried to be reasonable but he cannot wait any longer.

"We really did not expect it to take this long and at the moment he still has no damages."

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