MORE than 12,000 ex-miners could be entitled to thousands of pounds in additional compensation for vibration white finger.
Barnsley-based solicitors Raleys has lost a case in which a judge found it had originally given 'inadequate advice' to a former miner who claimed compensation, and ordered the law firm to pay him an additional £5,539.
The condition is an industrial disease caused by the prolonged use of vibrating handheld machinery.
It's thought the ruling could open the floodgates, allowing thousands more who the firm advised to come forward, with Raleys having represented 12,297 clients in VWF compensation cases.
Andrew Procter, 53, of East Ardsley near Leeds, is only the second man to be awarded additional compensation after being originally represented by Raleys in a claim for vibration white finger.
But the original claim did not take into account Mr Procter's inability to carry out household tasks such as gardening, DIY, window cleaning and decorating.
Robert Godfrey, partner with law firm Mellor Hargreaves which represented Mr Procter, said he was given advice by Raleys that was 'insufficient and misleading'.
"Raleys used a lot of standard letters and questionnaires with very little personal contact," he added. "They were dealing with a high number of clients and were getting fixed costs.
"What they should have been doing was meeting with people face to face to make sure the clients understood what they could claim for and if they chose not to claim, what they could be giving up."
He said Mr Procter's file contained a record saying he could claim for not being able to perform such tasks, but the firm never met with him, and did not explain this to him when he was contacted by telephone.
Carol Gill, managing partner of Raleys, said: "We're very disappointed with the judgement in this case and we're considering an appeal."
