The Environment Agency has issued a report indicating that the terrible floods of 2007 affected some 48,000 homes. The cost per house was up to £30,000, with businesses having to fork out £112,000 to get their firm back up and running.As the dangers of flooding become more widely known, 150 persons have signed up to the National Flood Forum and Landmark Information Group’s ‘Know Your Flood Risk’ (KYFR) campaign.

The members come from a range of backgrounds including government at local and national level, flood protection specialists and housing developers.The campaign aims to increase awareness, and to provide support to homeowners and property professionals against the dangers of flooding.Director Rupert Evans, of specialist flood risk consultancy Evans Rivers and Coastal Ltd, has said he believes floods will become increasingly commonplace and that awareness must be raised.James Sherwood-Rogers, MD of Landmark Legal and Financial, has pointed out that the last decade has seen three major floods, destroying thousands of homes.

David Crowther, from Leicester based insurance broker Andrew Bourne comments “Increased awareness will help those at risk reduce their exposure to the dangers of flooding.  just because there were not many insurance claims in Leicester this time round is no guarentee for the future.  The floods in Cumbria during November last year caused damage totalling around £200m”

The Environment Agency has concluded that one in every six English homes is at risk of flooding and that £20bn needs to be spent on flood defences by 2035.

“Building” has warned that insurance companies, including Aviva and AXA, may refuse to cover some UK buildings because of fire risk.According to the construction magazine, recent figures from insurance research body, RISCAuthority, indicate that 40% of fires involving a loss exceeding £150,000 are related to timber-frame and light-gauge steel-frame buildings.Concerns centre on the performance of fire-stopping devices in cavities that separate the frame from cladding once a building is complete.

Aviva’s property risk manager, Allister Smith, has suggested that premiums could rise or cover could be refused because of “disproportionate losses” from large buildings of modern construction.In November, a fire at a tower block in Peckham cost six lives and the RISCAuthority has now submitted a report to the London assembly fire investigation panel, warning about the risks of some modern building methods.The assembly is proposing to undertake its own investigations this month. In December, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reported that fire damage reached record levels in the first half of 2009.

Insurers paid out £639 million or £3.6 million every day for damage caused by fires. ABI director of general insurance and health, Nick Starling, said: “While the numbers of fires may have been falling, the increase in large-scale fires is increasingly putting lives at risk, and puts more pressure on businesses in these already difficult trading times.”

In the insurance industry as in many other areas perception is reality.  So it is always interested to find out what the public opinion is when it comes to ‘trusted’ companys.  Based on a poll of 5,000 readers www.thisismoney.co.uk has named the UK’s most trusted financial providers.  According to the financial website, firms providing savings accounts, current accounts, mortgages and car and home insurance have all been evaluated on the basis of trustworthiness and customer service.

In all but one category the same provider took the “most trusted” and “best customer service” award. The exception was car insurance, where Tesco emerged as the “most trusted insurer” and Saga as “best customer service” provider. Dual awards are as follows: RIAS for home insurance; Nationwide Building Society for mortgages; First Direct for current accounts and savings and Alliance & Leicester for cash ISAs.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has reported that its members paid out £650 million in total in dealing with claims arising from the coldest winter in the UK in thirty years. Acress the UK, policyholders submitted 335,000 claims for damage to their homes, businesses and vehicles, broken down as follows:
Motor insurance – 268,400 claims at a cost of £395 million – many claims were for accidental damage as motorists struggled on slippery roads.
Property damage (homeowners and business customers) – 66,600 claims costing £255 million – of these, 60,200 involved homes, at a cost of £194 million.
The volume of weather damage claims rose to double that normally seen during December and January, with a typical claim involving roof damage caused by snow.
The ABI’s director of general insurance and health, Nick Starling, says: “From dealing with snow damaged roofs, burst pipes, to repairing or replacing vehicles damaged by treacherous driving conditions, insurers helped their customers get through the snow and the freezing temperatures.”
David Crowther from Leicester Insurance Broker Anderew Bourne & Company comments “Insurers have paid out a total of almost £1 billion in total to customers as a result of the bad weather this winter.  the combination of heavy snow came just weeks after the flooding in Cumbria, which led to insurers paying out £200 million in flood claims. Thankfully Leiceter has not been too badly affected by these severe weather conditions, but we always waork hard to make sure that our clienst such as haulage companies and offices are fully prepared for any problems. ”

Handy iPhone application to help insurance claims launched

Andrew Bourne,  Leicester based insurance brokers have leared that iPhone users there is a handy new application which is being supported by the insurance industry including MORE TH>N.  It is designed to help drivers who are involved in accidents including haulage companies.

Currently 38% of drivers fail to record sufficient third party details in the aftermath of a collision.  The new Car Claim accident tool is the first of its kind in the UK. The software guides a driver through safety precautions at the roadside and reminds users to gather vital information at the scene, taking photographs where necessary.

The application also comes with a facility to upload a driver’s location through Global Positioning System and data can be emailed by the user right away.

Car Claim can be downloaded free of charge from Apple App store.

Bike thieves get hot-fingers in September

September 2009

Britain’s cycling boom has prompted a rise in bicycle thefts, with an estimated 540,000 bikes stolen last year, an increase of 22% compared to the previous year.

The figures, released by the British Crime Survey, also show that bike thieves are the most hot-fingered in September, with 29% more bikes stolen than during an average month. Research has also revealed that around 22% of student cyclists have had at least one bike stolen.

Simple measures like leaving your bike in a well-lit area and using a good quality lock can deter a would-be thief and reduce your general insurance claims.