A NURSING assistant who blamed wobbly steps for a fall has been awarded more than £100,000 in damages.

Agnes Wilson suffered a bad bump on her head and a broken arm as she went to work in May 1999 and said the steps where she fell were loose.

Glasgow City Council contested her action at the Court of Session, saying she should have taken more care and Lord Bracadale ruled she was partly at fault.

Mrs Wilson of Gibson Heights, Drygate, Glasgow, told the court she remembered getting to the top of the stairs near her home but then nothing until she woke up in Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

She also told the court that steps in the last flight were loose and wobbled when stood on.

"The first issue to be addressed is whether Mrs Wilson has proved she fell on the stairs," said Lord Bracadale in his written ruling issued yesterday.

The court heard how a couple waiting for a taxi to go out for a meal nodded to Mrs Wilson, who was 57 at the time of the incident, as she passed to go down the stairs.

They then heard her scream and she was found trying to crawl up the stairs with blood coming from her head.

James Saunders, 62, said Mrs Wilson had fallen near the bottom of the stairs and his wife, Maureen, 60, said it definitely wasn't at the top of the flight.

Mr Saunders also said he had previously complained to the council about loose steps.

The court also saw a report from ambulance personnel which said Mrs Wilson had tripped on "slabs".

On a later hospital visit a consultant neurologist noted she "tripped over a paving stone and fell."

Mrs Wilson, who worked at Gartnavel Royal Hospital, also told council officials: "I caught my foot on uneven pavement and fell."

Lord Bracadale said Mrs Wilson was "a confused and nervous witness" but said he believed Mr Saunders who had no reason to make up a story on her behalf.

Council officials were over-confident about the steps.

The court also heard of a botched "repair" when workmen were said to have thrown cement and sand near the steps and brushed it. "This is one of the tricks of the trade," one of the workmen told Mr Saunders.

Before the case came to court a damages figure of £145,000 had been agreed if the judge decided in Mrs Wilson's favour.

Lord Bracadale cut the damages by 25% for "contributory negligence."