By Steven Birch
Insurers have been left counting the cost of December's severe weather, as icy road conditions and burst water pipes led to more than £1 billion of damage.
Home insurance companies in particular faced a tough task as £900 million property claims were made during the month - the highest ever caused by bad winter weather.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) revealed that the arctic conditions had not only brought the economy to a grinding halt but also generated £38 million of insurance claims every day.
During December a total of £1.4 billion of claims were made, which is more than double the £650 million of claims made during the previous winter.
ABI said the high level of damage was caused by the severity and longevity of the arctic conditions.
Scotland, which was subjected to particularly cold conditions with temperatures dropping as low as minus 20C in some parts, reported £90 million of damage to property.
Burst pipes caused more damage than any other problem and were responsible for £680 million of claims, which was 35% more than in the whole of the previous winter.
There were more than 100,000 incidents of problems with pipes, which caused an average of between £6,500 and £7,200 of damage.
More than a quarter of a million vehicles were damaged as icy conditions made the roads dangerous and helped cause £530 million worth of damage.
Nick Starling, the ABI's director of general insurance and health, said: "Insurers always respond quickly to the large numbers of claims that often follow from bad weather and helped thousands of customers get through a very tough December.
"The big freeze highlighted that when bad weather strikes there's no substitute for insurance."
photo: dannyfowler
