Insurers pay out £650m on snow claims

Insurers paid out £650m in dealing with 335,000 claims from customers suffering damage to their homes, businesses and vehicles following the coldest winter in thirty years, according to the ABI.

During the heavy snow and freezing temperatures that gripped Britain during December 2009 and January this year, insurers paid out:

• £395 million to insured motorists. The ABI said many of the 268,400 motor insurance claims were for accidental damage as motorists struggled on slippery roads.
  
• £255 million to homeowners and business customers for property damage. The ABI commented that the 66,600 claims was double the number of weather damage claims insurers would normally expect to see during the period. Of these, the majority - 60,200 - involved homes, at a cost of £194m. A typical claim involved roof damage caused by the snow.

Nick Starling, the ABI’s director of general insurance and health, said: “Insurers will always respond quickly to the large number of claims that often result from bad weather. 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.

"Insurers have paid out nearly £1bn to customers following bad weather this winter, as the heavy snow came weeks after the flooding in Cumbria, which led to insurers paying out £200m in flood claims.”