March 2010 - British cold snap costs Insurers £650 million

Coldest British Winter in thirty years costs insurers £650 million

The cold snap that gripped Britain from 18th December 2009 and 13th January 2010 resulted in 335,000 claims from customers who had suffered damage to homes, businesses and vehicles, according to the association of British insurers.

Treacherous driving conditions caused the most payouts with over £390 million being paid to motorists who had fallen foul to the icy roads. Most of the 268,400 claims were for accidental damage to motor vehicles.

Buildings were also severely affected by the adverse weather conditions, with 66,600 claims made by home and business owners for damages to property. The ABI said that this is double the number of claims expected during this period. The total payout for property claims was £255 million, with most of these claims being for roof damage.

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 £1 billion to customers following bad weather this winter, as the heavy snow came weeks after the flooding in Cumbria, which led to insurers paying out £200 million in flood claims."