Home insurance warning over festivals

A high street home insurance provider has warned revellers planning to visit a festival this weekend to be wary of thieves and opportunistic pickpockets.

Halifax Home Insurance drew attention to the large number of festivals that take place over the August bank holiday weekend , advising those planning to attend to keep items such as mobile phones and mp3 players safe.

However, the bank claimed that help may be at hand, as additional home insurance cover will provide a customer with protection as high as £1,500 per item in the event of theft.

Paul Birkhead, senior manager of pricing and underwriting for Halifax Home Insurance, commented: Summer music festivals are great fun and we don't want to put people off attending these events, just advise them to be vigilant.

He added that Britons should be aware of a few simple measures that they can put in place to avoid falling victim to crooks. These involve never leaving valuables unattended and hiding them if in a vehicle .

The largest summer festival in the calendar, Glastonbury, was a rainy affair this year with partygoers revelling in the mud.