Five year wait for compensation is 'shameful' says 7/7 survivor

A survivor of the 7/7 bombings today criticised the "shameful" government compensation scheme after waiting five years for a final settlement.

Beverli Rhodes, 49, suffered a brain stem injury and post-traumatic stress and needed facial reconstruction after the explosion which killed 26 people on a Piccadilly line Tube train.

She was left thousands of pounds out of pocket and came close to having to sell her house after she had to pay for her own surgery, before she received her final £12,000 settlement last July.

Six survivors of the 2005 bombings are still awaiting compensation, almost six years after the attacks. So far £11 million has been paid to 645 applicants, but the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority said it is still investigating six cases.

Ms Rhodes, from Ashford, Kent, said "The compensation is absolutely shameful. Now that I've received my final settlement, the authority has said it won't entertain any further claims but that is very unfair - post-traumatic stress can take years to come through.

"The system needs to change radically before we're hit by another terrorist attack so that the next survivors don't have to go through the same problems as us."

The authority said: "We sympathise with all the victims of the bombings and their families and are committed to resolving applications as quickly and sensitively as possible.

"We received 651 claims for compensation in the years after the bombings. The vast majority have been settled and we have made interim payments in every outstanding eligible case."