Remember; remember… to check your insurance ahead of Bonfire Night

Remember; remember… to check your insurance ahead of Bonfire Night
With Bonfire Night only a month away, the British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) is warning homeowners to double check their insurance cover before lighting a bonfire near their property or setting off any fireworks.

The warning comes because every bonfire night sees thousands of pounds worth of property damage occurring across the UK as a direct result of the misuse of fireworks or a failure to properly supervise or control bonfires.

Government figures show that in 2005 fireworks injured nearly one thousand people in the four-week period in October and November that covers Bonfire Night. The figures, found at http://www.dti.gov.uk/…ile30136.pdf, show that the North West, the South East and the North and Yorkshire regions are the UK’s danger spots for firework injuries.

The figures show the following regional breakdown for the number of firework injuries in 2005 (during the same four week period):

North Western – 179
North & Yorkshire – 131
South East – 131
Trent – 121
Scotland – 93
West Midlands – 89
Wales – 69
Greater London – 65
Eastern – 64
South & West – 49
Total – 991

The figures also show that the majority of accidents involving fireworks occur at home or in the immediate vicinity of houses – highlighting that insurance cover is a necessity. Without insurance, even a seemingly minor mishap could become a financial nightmare.

Every year sees a raft of insurance claims in the days following Bonfire Night. Claims, related to the 5th November celebrations, include:

• Shattered windows
• Garden damage
• Fire spreading to outbuildings or homes
• Personal Liability for injury to other parties e.g. guest or neighbours

Every homeowner or Bonfire Night party host should be checking their insurance to ensure they are covered.

Commenting, Graeme Trudgill, Technical Services Manager at BIBA, said:

"Too many people are putting themselves and their property at risk on Bonfire Night. We want everyone to enjoy themselves, but only after they have taken the necessary measures to insure against mishaps, and to cover themselves should anything go wrong.

“We strongly urge homeowners to check their property insurance cover with their local brokers to ensure they are covered, and to follow the Firework Safety Code. After all, 36% of UK homeowners don’t have building insurance. By taking these simple steps everyone will enjoy the night with peace of mind and without finding themselves in harms way.”

Coversure Insurance Services are members of the British Insurance Brokers Association – www.biba.org.uk; this article is reproduced here with their kind permission.