Burst pipes blamed on cold snap

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The UK insurance industry has received nearly 16,000 home insurance claims linked to water damage since the beginning of the cold snap in December, according to Sainsbury's.

It believes that the value of 'forcible/violent bursting' claims totals around £35.21 million and that the cold weather conditions have caused or contributed to many of the claims.

Ben Tyte, from Sainsbury's, said: "There have certainly been more home insurance claims linked to water damage in recent weeks than we'd expect to see when the weather is milder. We experienced a similar surge during last year's cold snap, but this year it has been much more prolonged and intense. Temperatures have dropped to as low as -22C (-7.6F) at night in some parts of the UK and with more cold weather predicted, we expect to see more claims linked to water damage.

"We have seen cases where people have gone away for a few days and switched their heating off and returned to terrible damage; this really is a no, no. Warm water must be kept circulating even if it's for a short period each day. Having good quality home insurance is also invaluable as with the average claim for water damage caused by burst pipes coming in at £2,218, if your pipes do break you may find yourself with an expensive bill that you just don't need so soon after Christmas."

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