Peter Kelly had almost three months off work when he skidded on food leftovers and fell from his train onto the platform at Ilkley railway station.

The dad-of-two suffered deep muscle damage and also tore ligaments in his back, leaving him needing physiotherapy and a cocktail of painkillers.

Now back at work – though he still struggles to walk far – he has received the lump sum in an out-of-court settlement from employers Northern Rail.

Peter, 49, from Selby, said: "It sounds like a minor thing, rubbish not being cleared up – but it had major repercussions for me.

"That pain is still there now. It's always in the background and I've just had to learn to live with it."

Peter, a train driver for five years, was working the Leeds-Ilkley route when the accident happened in September 2006. He believes he slipped on a sandwich bag and orange peelings – perhaps the remains from a passenger's lunchbox.

He initially shrugged off his injury and went on holiday with his wife Lynn, to Florida a week later. However, he spent most of the break in discomfort and went to hospital when he got home.

He said: "I had quite a bit of time off work and even now I still have to take painkillers and can only walk short distances."

The payout was secured by Mr Kelly's trade union Aslef and its personal injury lawyers Thompsons.

Aslef union official Nicky Whitehead said: "For a train driver and other staff, the train is their workplace and Northern Rail are obliged to clean the train adequately in order to provide a safe working environment."

Keely Goldup from Thompsons solicitors in Leeds, said: "There are clear guidelines which spell out the steps that should be taken by employers."

Northern Trains media relations manager Carolyn Watson said: "We have a comprehensive cleaning programme for our trains and stations, and we work with all our employees to prevent accidents at work."