If you have been injured in a post office or your personal data has been compromised, you may be eligible to claim compensation. However, it is not always immediately clear who is legally responsible, as not all post office branches are owned or operated by Post Office Ltd. Although Post Office Ltd is a government-owned organisation, it does not directly run the majority of its branches across the UK. Out of more than 11,500 locations, around 85 per cent are privately owned or managed by independent subpostmasters under franchise agreements. Many branches are also located within other businesses, such as convenience stores or retail outlets like WHSmith, which further affects who may be held liable. Liability will affect how to sue a post office. 

At How To Sue, we fully appreciate that it can be difficult to know where to begin when it comes to claiming compensation. That’s why we aim to make the process as easy as possible by maintaining a 24/7 advice line so you can ask your questions or get a free eligibility check whenever it’s convenient for you. Our team can tell you in as little as a few minutes if you have a valid claim and connect you with an expert personal injury solicitor. 

Browse This Page

1. How To Sue A Post Office For An Injury
2. Who Can Sue A Post Office?
3. What Can You Sue The Post Office For?
4. How Much Compensation Can I Get After Suing A Post Office For Personal Injury?
5. Can I Claim If The Post Office Breached My Personal Data?
6. What Will Be Needed When Suing A Post Office?
7. Why Claim With How To Sue For Post Office Compensation?
8. Can I Sue A Post Office On A No Win No Fee Basis?
9. Learn More

How To Sue A Post Office For An Injury

When considering how to sue a post office for an injury it is important to consider the eligibility requirements and who may be legally responsible. As explained above, not all branches are operated by Post Office Ltd, so liability could rest with Post Office Ltd, an independent franchise operator, or the business that owns the premises where the post office is located.

We have summarised the eligibility requirements for you here:

1. You were owed a duty of care by the party responsible for the branch. This duty can arise under legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 where employers must protect employees, and the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 which requires those in control of premises to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of visitors
2. That duty of care was breached. A breach can occur where reasonable safety measures were not taken or were implemented incorrectly. This could include failing to carry out risk assessments as required under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, not addressing known hazards, or allowing unsafe conditions to persist
3. As a result of this breach, you suffered an injury. You must be able to show that the breach of duty directly caused your injury, supported by evidence such as medical records, accident reports or witness statements

Contact our team of friendly advisors today to learn more about starting a claim in your particular circumstances today. 

Who Can Sue A Post Office?

Both Post Office employees and customers could potentially sue a post office after being injured on the premises. You’ll need to show that the duty of care that was owed to you was breached, leading to the accident, but the duty owed depends on whether you were a worker or customer, as we look at here.

Injured In A Post Office As A Customer

Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, the party in control of a premises, known as the occupier, has a legal duty to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of visitors. If you are injured in a post office as a customer because it failed in this duty, you may be able to make a claim against the occupier responsible for that location.

This means if you sustain an injury in a public place due to such steps not being implemented, you may be entitled to compensation. As a brief example, if a broken carpet tile had not been repaired despite multiple reports to staff, and you tripped and hit your head, you could be entitled to compensation. 

Injured Whilst Working At A Post Office

Workers are protected under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Employers must implement reasonable steps to ensure the safety of all employees. This may involve measures such as providing backroom staff with protective footwear and ensuring appropriate manual handling training is provided. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the national regulator for health and safety in work, publishes detailed guidance on a variety of topics to help employers meet the legal safety requirements.

For example, without manual handling training, you could attempt to lift a parcel that was much too heavy and tear a ligament in your shoulder. Additionally, you could suffer a trip and fall if parcels are left in busy walkways. If your employer fails to correctly address risks and hazards and you suffer an injury as a result, you could claim compensation. 

Further information on accident at work claims as well as claiming as a customer, can be sought from our advisors today. 

What Can You Sue The Post Office For?

You could potentially sue the Post Office for a range of incidents, including slips and falls, falling objects, and equipment failures. 

A general list of common types of accidents and injuries includes:

• Slips, trips and falls caused by spillages, wet floors or uneven surfaces
  
• Injuries caused by defective flooring, loose mats or damaged fixtures
  
• Accidents involving falling objects such as parcels, stock or shelving
  
• Injuries caused by faulty equipment or poorly maintained facilities
  
• Cuts or lacerations from sharp objects or broken items
  
• Manual handling injuries such as lifting heavy parcels or stock

Other incidents can arise depending on a range of factors, so to learn more about claiming in your specific circumstances, reach out to one of our friendly advisors today.

How Much Compensation Can I Get After Suing A Post Office For Personal Injury?

The amount of compensation you could receive after suing a post office for a personal injury will depend on the specific circumstances of your case, including the severity of your injuries and how they affect your daily life. There are two heads of claim under which this compensation may be calculated. These are:

• General damages: payments for your physical and psychological injuries.
• Special damages: payments for associated financial harm. We take a more detailed look at special damages in the next section.

In order to determine a potential general damages figure for your claim, solicitors can use your medical evidence alongside the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG sets down the guideline compensation brackets for a range of injuries, some of which you can see in the table here. The top entry is not a JCG bracket.

Compensation Table

Please be aware that this information is intended to act as guidance only.

Type of Injury	Severity	Guideline Payout Figure
Very Serious Cases involving Multiple Injuries and Significant Costs such as a Loss of Earnings, Medical and Travel Expenses.	Very Serious	Up to £500,000 and Above.
Head Injuries and Brain Damage	Moderate (c)(ii) - Moderate to Modest Intellectual Deficit	£110,720 to £183,190
	Moderate (c)(iii) - Impact on Concentration and Memory	£52,550 to £110,720
Knee Injuries	Severe (a)(ii) - Leg Fracture Extending into the Knee	£63,610 to £85,100
	Severe (a)(iii) - Pain and Discomfort with Limitation of Movement	£31,960 to £53,030
Ankle Injuries	Severe (b) - Significant Residual Disability	£38,210 to £61,090
	Moderate (c) - Less Serious Fractures and Ligamentous Tears	£16,770 to £32,450
Shoulder Injuries	Serious (b) - Lower Brachial Plexus Damage	£15,580 to £23,430

How To Sue A Post Office For Financial Losses

Financial losses, as we said above, are reimbursed as special damages payments. This head of claim covers both past and future losses so it is quite typical to see the amounts for special damages be substantially higher than anything paid out for general damages. 

Examples of financial losses that could be reimbursed as part of special damages include:

• Loss of earnings due to any time taken off work.
• Loss of future earnings if you remain unable to work, unable to work the same hours or to the same capacity.
• Medical costs including private treatment, physiotherapy, prescription medications and counselling services.
• In-home care and assistance if you cannot complete daily activities on your own safely. For example, you could get assistance with DIY tasks, childcare, preparing meals and cleaning duties.
• Accessibility installations such as ramps, a stairlift, modifications to your bathroom or handrails in corridors may be necessary if your injuries have reduced your mobility.
• Travel expenses to and from the hospital, or to work once you return.

Proof of these costs will be required, so keep a hold of any payslips, invoices for care services and purchase receipts so you can show exactly what financial harm you have experienced.

This section is intended to give you a better idea of the types of costs you could be compensated for. Of course, what you are able to claim, and the exact value will depend on your own personal circumstances so we emphasise again that this information has been provided to act as guidance only.

You can ask further questions about potential compensation in your specific circumstances by speaking to our advisory team today.

 

Can I Claim If The Post Office Breached My Personal Data?

You may be able to make a claim if your personal data has been breached in connection with a post office. However, it is important to identify who was responsible for handling your information. Depending on how the branch operates, this could be Post Office Ltd, an independent franchise operator, or another business involved in providing the service.

Any organisation handling personal data must follow the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. These laws require personal information to be kept secure and used properly.

If your personal data, such as your name, address or financial details, has been exposed because these rules were not followed, and this has caused you financial loss or distress, you may be able to claim compensation. 

For example, a data breach could occur if a member of staff hands your parcel or recorded delivery item to the wrong customer without properly checking identification, exposing your name, address and potentially other personal details to a third party.

How Much Post Office Data Breach Compensation Could I Sue For?

The amount of compensation you could receive after suing a post office for a data breach will depend on the specific circumstances of your case, including the type of data exposed, and the impact it had on you both mentally and financially.

Can I Sue A Post Office For Material Damage After A Data Breach?

You can sue for material damage after a data breach. Material damage refers to any financial harm caused by having your personal information exposed, lost or destroyed. 

The costs you could be compensated for include:

• A loss of earnings due to any absence from work due to psychiatric distress.
• Medical expenses such as counselling and prescriptions.
• Security installations like cameras, additional locks and alarm systems if your address has been exposed.
• In severe cases, full relocation may be required if your safety is at risk.

Further information on how to sue for a data breach can be found here. 

You can find out more about claiming for a personal data breach at a post office by talking to our advisory team. 

What Will Be Needed When Suing A Post Office?

You will need supporting evidence, such as your medical records and CCTV footage of the accident taking place, when suing a post office. Any claim will need to be made within the relevant limitation period.

The Process For Suing A Post Office For Personal Injuries

The evidence needed for a personal injury claim may include:

• Photographs of your injuries, the surrounding area and the cause of the accident. For example, pictures of parcels in a walkway. 
• Medical evidence like copies of your x-rays, the results of blood testing and any examination notes from the medical staff.
• Contact information of any potential witnesses, such as a colleague or a friend that joined you at the post office. Your solicitor will get in touch with these persons during the claims process to take their account of what occurred. 
• In any workplace with 10 or more employees, an accident book must be kept. Your incident report from this can be used in your evidence.

Most personal injury claims are subject to a limitation period, or time limit, of 3 years from the accident date, although exceptions may be granted to some claimants. The 3 year limit doesn’t apply in cases involving injured minors or those without sufficient mental capacity to claim for themselves. You can see our guide on the topic by following the link provided above. 

To discuss supporting evidence and the time limits further, reach out to the advisory team at How To Sue today using the contact information given below. 

Why Claim With How To Sue For Post Office Compensation?

How To Sue works with a panel of dedicated solicitors with decades of experience across a wide variety of claims. What this means is our advisors can connect you with the right legal representative for you quickly, and with no fuss. Our advisory team knows that every claim is a little bit different and there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to seeking justice for what happened. 

That’s why our panel of experts take their time to really get to grips with the ins and outs of your claim and pride themselves on providing a service that is as unique as you are. Here are just a few of the ways our panel can help you and the services they can provide:

• Ensuring you receive all necessary medical care, treatment and rehabilitation.
• Keeping you informed of how the claims action is progressing.
• Explaining all the tricky legal language. You can see our legal glossary here for more guidance on the legal terms.
• Calculating a potential value for the claim, taking into account your injuries, financial losses and the impact on your daily life.
• Helping you gather supporting evidence.
• Negotiating a settlement figure as well as other resolution measures.

Can I Sue A Post Office On A No Win No Fee Basis?

Yes, you can. How To Sue’s expert panel of solicitors operates under strict No Win No Fee terms, offering their bespoke services to you under a particular No Win No Fee contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement or “CFA.” When you instruct a solicitor under a CFA, you won’t have to pay any service fees at the start of, or during the claims process. Since this is a No Win No Fee contract, you will also not pay any service fee if the claim is lost. 

If the claim is won, however, a success fee is deducted from the compensation. Under The Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013, solicitors can charge a maximum percentage of 25% for this fee. 

Contact Our Advisors

Free advice, answers to your questions, and a free eligibility check are all available from our advisory team. Get in touch with us today using the contact details given here:

• Call us on 0800 408 7827.
• You can contact us via our online form
• Or, click the live chat button at the bottom of your screen now.

Learn More

You can read some more of our personal injury claims guides here:

• Check if you could sue after being hit by heavy boxes at work by talking to one of our advisors.
• Learn about shoulder injury claims with this handy guide. 
• Read our guidance on how to sue for a back injury at work and find out more about how compensation amounts are determined. 

We’ve provided these external resources for additional information:

• You can view the guidance on manual handling at work from the HSE on their website. 
• Learn more about administering first aid after an incident with this NHS resource. 
• See the requirements for Employer’s Liability insurance and access further guidance from the government.

We’d like to thank you for taking the time to read our guide on how to sue a post office. To find out more about claiming in your particular circumstances, or to get a free eligibility assessment, talk to our advisors using the contact information given above.