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Cold snap 'hits home owners'
08/12/10
Edited by Tom Bardsley.The cold weather has resulted in a spike in insurance claims for weather damage from Britain's residential property owners, Axa has said.
According to the insurer, almost two-thirds (65 per cent) of the new cases it saw between 4th December and 6th December were linked to the freezing temperatures or snow.
It added that overall, it has received double the number of calls expected for this time of year.
Almost half of the new claims received between Saturday and Monday related to damage to roofs and gutters caused by the sheer weight of snow that had fallen.
Another 15 per cent were linked to burst pipes.
Commenting on the figures, Axa's Amanda Edwards said: "We cannot stress enough to people how important it is to take precautions in the current cold snap."
Legal & General recently claimed one of the best ways to avoid burst or cracked pipes is to leave central heating ticking over on a low setting, especially when a house is empty.
The company noted there were 60,200 buildings cover claims made during last year's cold snap, which cost a total of £194 million.
