New figures released today for the first time show the full cost of claims for Cornish Mutual during one of the worst winters on record.

Ahead of what is predicted to be yet another cold winter, the south-west based rural insurer says nearly 300 weather-related insurance claims were made between 1 November 2010 and 31 March 2011 costing the firm nearly three quarters of a million pounds (£709,305).

The claims include burst pipes and tanks, flooding, storm damage, lightning strikes, vehicles sliding on ice and damage caused by rain, snow and wind. The average claim totalled £2,462.

Burst pipes, tanks, boilers and water escaping were the most common and expensive causes of damage with an average individual claim of £4,624. This was followed by storm rain damage, with the average individual claim of £2,664.

Cornish Mutual, which has Members across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset, is publishing the figures following the Met Office’s recent call for a ‘sense of reason’ about what is in store for this year’s winter in the UK. There have been some media reports of temperatures plummeting to -20C and others saying we may experience an Arctic winter.

Alan Goddard, managing director of Cornish Mutual, said: “For the last two years we have had particularly severe winters in the South West and the claims that we’ve experienced clearly reflect that. I think, rather than scaremongering about what might or might not happen this winter, the best thing that everyone can do is to think ahead. Preparation is absolutely key and the more prepared you are for the worst, the better off you are likely to be at the end of the day.”

He added: “As an insurance company, we did experience one of the busiest periods for winter claims in recent years and clearly we’ll be keeping a close eye on forecasts this year. No one likes to be left facing huge bills which often run into thousands of pounds as a result of damage caused by the weather, so making sure your home, vehicle or property is in a good state-of-repair now and that you are properly insured against these sorts of eventualities is always a sensible thing to do sooner, rather than later.”

Nearly 30 claims were paid to farmers in the Westcountry for loss of milk, because tankers couldn’t collect from some farms. Treacherous conditions on the roads meant that tankers were not able to reach the milking parlours and some dairy farmers had to dispose of the milk when their tanks became full.

Cornish Mutual is reminding farmers in the region that they must speak to their insurer about cover for uncollected milk when they take up an insurance policy or at the time of renewal.

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