A care assistant has secured compensation of £8,000 from her former employer after she suffered a serious injury to her back, it has been revealed.

Margaret Yates was helping to undress an elderly woman at the Grange Residential Care Home on Whinbush Way in the north-east town of Darlington when she sustained damage to her back.

Along with a colleague, she had been lifting the lady from her bed while attempting to pull up her undergarments.

Ms Yates stated: "If I’d known how to dress her or any other of the residents properly, or been given access to training, I would have adopted a safer method instead."

As a result of the injury she suffered, the 58-year-old was left in considerable pain and was unable to perform simple domestic tasks for several weeks.

Eventually, she was also forced to leave her position at the care home.