A DELIVERY driver from Tadley has been awarded £12,000 in compensation after sustaining a hernia at work.

Peter Warwick, 64, was working as a DHL delivery driver when he had to take goods to the TK Maxx store in Waterlooville.

Once he arrived at the store, Mr Warwick experienced difficulty moving an unusually heavy pallet.

When the pallet began rolling towards the open rear door of his delivery vehicle, he managed to stop it but strained himself in the process.

Mr Warwick, pictured, visited his GP when his pain failed to subside and was diagnosed with a protrusion of his groin, known as an inguinal hernia. He needed surgery to remove it.

“I often had to move pallets that were six-foot-high, so I was used to moving heavy loads,” said the Tadley resident.

“The pallet in question was quite small in comparison, so when I struggled to move it, I just assumed a bit of grit was jammed in the wheel. I found out after the incident that the pallet was actually a stack of heavy glass sheets, and I was shocked when I was told that it weighed more than two tonnes.

“How anyone was expected to move this, especially on their own, is beyond me.”

Due to the injury sustained, Mr Warwick, who is a member of Unite, the trade union, sought advice from the union and accident-at-work specialists Thompsons Solicitors.

The Unite member, who said he has since resigned from his role for other reasons, then opted to make a compensation claim with the help of the two parties.

Mr Warwick added: “I was offered a lower settlement amount at one point by my old employer, and I thought it was the best I would get and said I was happy to take it.

“But my solicitor was certain I deserved more and went above and beyond to ensure I was fairly compensated. I can’t praise them enough.”

A spokesperson from DHL said: “While we cannot discuss the details of this case, we very much regret the injury sustained by Mr Warwick.”

Sarah Carpenter, south east regional secretary at Unite the union said that Mr Warwick’s injuries could have been avoided had the pallet been labelled.