£150,000 in compensation for ex-Army chef

An army chef who suffered a non-freezing cold injury that caused numbness, tissue damage, long-term pain and permanent intolerance to the cold, has received £150,000 in compensation from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). He had to work in temperatures as low as -14°C at a training camp in Germany. He was given only cotton socks and standard issue leather army boots to wear, despite it being well known to the MoD that people of African origin are particularly susceptible to cold injury. The man was medically discharged from the Army and is un­able to continue a career in catering. His lawyers argued he should have been provided with adequate protection to avoid the onset of his condition and was able to secure a settlement out of court after the MoD admitted it was 75% responsible for the injuries.