Insurance cover should be added to Christmas shopping lists, urged brokers Stuart Alexander.
Southampton and Bournemouth regional director Nick Inge said the problem of underestimating the value of house contents was amplified at Christmas, with the addition of costly presents. He also pointed out that Christmas was one of the busiest times for burglars.
"For some people Christmas includes costly jewellery, a piece of fine art or maybe some antique furniture," said Inge. "And if you are also fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of these, insurance will increasingly become an issue as you build up your collection.
"Any kind of loss can be traumatic but if you a re adequately insured the whole claims process can be made more straightforward," he added.
