New research released by LV= Home Insurance has suggested that a combination of the World Cup and hot weather has caused a rise in alcohol-related accidents, leading to an increase in home insurance claims. With the summer well under way, LV= Home Insurance’s research estimates a total repair bill of £264 million for UK homeowners.

One in eight of those questioned suggested that sporting events, such as the World Cup and Wimbledon, encouraged them to throw more parties than would otherwise be the norm, leading to a larger number of accidents than usual caused by intoxicated guests.

The majority of accidents reported have involved broken glass or crockery, or incidents that have resulted in spillages on furniture or stained carpets, with a large proportion of these accidents blamed solely on drunk guests.

John O’Roarke, managing director of LV= Home Insurance, has cautioned potential party hosts by suggesting that, “our research shows that having friends over can often result in accidents, and we see thousands of insurance claims each year for problems like red wine spillages on carpets.”

Although the recent figures coincide with this year’s major sporting events, homeowners are also increasingly throwing large dinner parties with their friends, with many individuals thought to have been inspired by the hit Channel 4 TV show ‘Come Dine With Me’. Incidents whilst enjoying barbecues in the summer sun is also thought to be having an impact upon insurance claims.

With few, if any, homeowners likely to stop inviting their friends over to join them in celebrating major events or simply to enjoy the summer weather, bill payers should be aware of the need to check their insurance policies to ensure that they have proper accidental damage cover.

As the schools break up and people go on holiday, insurance company Hiscox is warning that prevention is better than creativity when it comes to foiling burglars. Home owners can be extremely inventive when thinking of places in which to hide valuables but basic home security is likely to be far more effective in the end.

Imaginative hiding places uncovered by the insurance company include sewing jewellery into the lining of curtains, burying valuables in the garden, hiding treasured possessions in shoes and clothes, making your front door look scruffy in the hope that burglars will choose a better-cared-for house to burgle and hanging washing out before you go away to make the house look lived in.

The sad fact is that many of the favourite hiding places are known to thieves. Burglars are also likely to notice something awry if washing is left on the line for a fortnight, and things can go badly wrong when you forget that the shoes you are giving to the charity shop contain your prized jewellery.

Hiscox therefore recommends basic precautions such as the following:

• Good locks for all windows and doors (including patio doors and those on outbuildings)
• Security lighting outside
• A home safe for jewellery and other valuables and a bank deposit box for any particularly valuable objects
• Time-operated lights and/or a friend or neighbour to call in periodically

Andrew Cheney of Hiscox UK recommends that homeowners should think of creating “rings of security” around their properties to wear the would-be intruders down.

Recent research reveals that the average garden shed has contents worth almost £1,000. But if a burglar strikes, are you insured?

According to figures released last week by M&S Money, the value of goods stored in the average garden shed is £988 – £100 more than this time last year.

The most valuable goods stored in a shed are likely to be lawn mowers, bikes and tools. And yet, surprisingly, many people do not take adequate precautions to ensure that they are not likely to fall prey to thieves.

Almost half of us admit that the shed is not always locked and it looks as if we are becoming more complacent since this figure was only 24% last year. One in five of us say that the shed is frequently left unsecured and seven out of eight of us feel that the shed could easily be broken into.

The bad news is that many home polices do not cover shed contents and those that do are likely to insist on the shed being properly secured.

Home owners should not only be worried about the value of contents that could be stolen from an unlocked shed but also the fact that a tool stolen from a shed could be used to gain entry to the home.

The following hints will help make your shed more secure:

• Invest in a decent padlock or lock and use it at all times
• Fit window locks
• Paint the windows or use blinds/curtains so that the contents cannot be seen
• Don’t leave expensive items such as bikes and barbecues in the garden
• Even if your shed was once secured by a padlock, make sure that it has not rusted over since you last looked, rendering the shed vulnerable to burglars