Parents foot GBP600m home insurance bill

The parents of Britain could be footing a hefty home insurance bill at the end of the summer holidays, Sainsbury's has warned.

Research findings estimate the cost of last years summer holiday was £639 million as children and pets ran amok in the family home and caused untold breakages.

According to the findings, playing ball games was the most common cause of damage to the home followed by food and drink spillages.

Sainsbury's home insurance manager Robert O'May commented: A mixture of general high spirits and children letting off steam can result in substantial damage to the family home and parents need to make sure they have adequate insurance to cover the inevitable mishaps and accidents that will occur.

Mr O'May also advised homeowners to check their home insurance policies for protected no-claims discount to avoid being penalised for one-off incidents.

Last summer, 1.3 million people reported damage to their homes caused by a pet, but analysis by Defaqto found that only four per cent of home insurance policies cover such damage.

The home insurance industry is currently coping with a surge of claims from homeowners in flood affected areas.