Motor claims soar as wintery weather persists across the UK

AA Insurance has reported a 23% jump in motor insurance claims in the first week of December, following a spate of icy weather conditions across the UK.

During the period, the insurer received 609 claims, including 210 traffic collisions, 104 incidents with parked cars, 34 cars hitting walls, two collisions with cyclists and one collision with a wild boar.

AA Insurance director Simon Douglas, said: “While hitting other cars is by far the most common, also high on the list of mishaps is striking snow-covered kerbs, which can cause expensive damage to wheels and suspension. An unlucky 13 drivers ended up in ditches.”

AXA Insurance has also reported double the volume of claims during the second week of December, compared with the same period last year. Of these, 50% of claims related to snow damage.

In its Storm Bulletin report, GAB Robins said the cold weather in the first week of December had caused a surge in burst pipes and escaped water, straining the loss adjuster’s resources.

The report said 96.5% of customers had been contacted within the first 24 hours of claims notification and 85% had been offered a visit within five days. It said: “We are experiencing very high levels of incoming instructions for burst pipe and escape of water claims.

“The majority of these are domestic claims, but so far during December we have seen a 100% plus increase over normal intake levels.”

The Met Office forecasts a return of the Arctic conditions to the UK this week, remaining until the new year. It predicts “significant accumulations” of snow and strong winds, which will create drifts.