CUMBRIA’S public bodies are sitting on a goldmine of fascinating information.

It’s not always easy to find, but thanks to the Freedom of Information Act 2000, hospitals, councils, police forces, and a whole host of publicly funded organisations are now legally obliged to respond to legitimate requests for information.

Below are just some of the nuggets of information that curious Cumbrians have unearthed in the last few years.

One of the organisations which is most bombarded with requests is Cumbria County Council, which employs more than, 6,000 people across various services.

In August, one council tax payer asked the authority to spell out how many compensation claims it had received as a result of pot holes in the county’s roads. The worst year was 2018, when there were 657 claims.

At the time of the request this year, there had been 155 claims. In the last three and a half years the total number of claims was 1,168.

Another question provided an insight into the stresses faced by modern teaching staff in Cumbria’s schools.

In a request submitted in November, the Council was asked to reveal how much the authority had spent on compensation settlements for staff - teachers and teaching assistants - who had been injured at their school.

The answer revealed that staff in the county are relatively safe.

There was only one such payment: £4,284, along with legal costs of £12,430. This money was paid, said the answer, after the claimant was “injured whilst restraining an agitated pupil.” The nature of the injury was not revealed.

In an unrelated question, submitted in March last year, the Council confirmed that, 11 of its staff had been given a written warning and 12 a final written warning.

Two were summarily dismissed. The figures relate to the last five years.

Equally fascinating were answers provided to FOI questioners who quizzed Cumbria Police.

One member of the public asked about fixed penalty notices which were issued for motoring offences in 2018. Officials revealed that:

* A total of 39,760 such notices were issued for speeding over the year;

* The highest speed involved was an eye-watering 128mph;

* A further 436 fixed penalty notices were issued for using a mobile phone while driving;

* And 407 were issued for uninsured driving.

The force also revealed that between 2011 and 2014, it reviewed two unsolved homicide cases, though the FOI answer did not specify what the cases were.

Among the more surprising answers was that given in response to a question about out-of-court settlements in recent years with people who sued the force. The figures showed that 2016 saw a peak for such expense, with a total of £240,123 paid out.

The answer did not reveal why the money was paid. In the previous year, the force paid £60,635 in settlements, while in 2017 the figure was £43,508 and last year it was £2,939.

The same response confirmed that Chief Constable Michelle Skeer issued no letters of apology to any civilian.

Another request focused on the work of police officers with dogs deemed to be dangerous.

As of April last year, the number of dogs seized under powers inferred by the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was just 11.

Yet kennelling costs for these dogs, in the years 2016 to 2018 inclusive, were £267,646. The most expensive year for kennelling was 2016 to 2017, when the cost peaked at £94,242.

Only one of the 11 seized dogs was put down before the case came to court.