Following five years of negotiations, a man has won a substantial payout from a London council after suffering brain damage from tripping over a street pothole - some reports put the final damages at around £1m.

The exact amount is the subject of a confidentiality agreement signed between Haringey LBC and Kyle Bullock, 37, who fell over a 3-inch deep, 15-inch wide pothole in Crouch End, North London in 2007.

The charity worker from Streatham, South London spent four months in hospital following the fall, and is now confined to a wheelchair. He developed epilepsy and decided to return to Sydney Australia where his mother lives.

Homes for Haringey have awarded an estimated £1m in compenstion for a serious accident involving a pothole.

Homes for Haringey a subsidiary of Haringey LBC, initially denied responsibility for the incident, but accepted that it had not maintained the road to a proper standard.

Haringey LBC agreed to pay 72.5% of Bullock’s claim in 2008 and after five years of negotiations, the final figure was approved at the High Court this week.

Bullock’s solicitor, Jill Greenfield, said: ‘It is truly shocking to think this could have been avoided if Homes for Haringey had filled these holes. This has been the worst case of a pothole causing serious injuries.’

A Haringey LBC spokesman said: ‘We are sorry for the injury and distress suffered by Mr Bullock. Following this incident, we introduced a comprehensive maintenance programme on all Homes for Haringey estates.

‘We carry out twice-yearly inspections of all estate roads and footpaths, making repairs as necessary. We spend £300,000 each year on maintenance as part of our efforts to prevent this kind of incident from happening again.’

Yesterday a report from ALARM found the number of potholes had increased by nearly 30% in the past year.