A boy seriously hurt by broken glass when he dived for a football in a Watford park could win £200,000 in damages.

He was only 12 years old when he threw himself on a football at Leavesden Green Recreation Ground in 2012.

Landing on a shard of broken glass, he suffered a nasty cut which caused lasting nerve damage to his hand.

He sued Watford Borough Council for damages and today (Monday) finally won his case at the High Court.

The decision means the boy, who has not been named due to his age, is entitled to "substantial" damages.

His lawyers have valued his claim at about £200,000. The case has already cost Watford Borough Council more than £100,000 in costs.

Mr Justice Jay said a previous decision at Watford County Court to dismiss his damages claim was wrong and had to be overturned.

The council had failed to disclose evidence prior to a trial last October, he said.

The boy had been playing football with his friends on a makeshift pitch in the park when he dived to prevent it going astray.

"He put his hand on the ground near the shelter, near one of the bins, and unfortunately hit his hand against a shard of broken glass," he said.

Evidence was put forward that the bin area had been inspected that morning and any broken glass removed.

The claim was dismissed in October after the county court judge found there was an adequate system of checks to ensure safety in the park.

However Mr Justice Jay overruled the judge, saying she had not taken properly into account the lack of a risk assessment by the council.

Broken glass in the area around the shelter was known to be "quite a significant problem", especially during school holidays, he said.