Rugby may cause home insurance disasters

The forthcoming rugby World Cup final may lead Britons to cause a great deal of accidental damage to themselves and their homes, it has been claimed.

According to Lloyds TSB, a high street bank that provides a wide range of financial services - including insurance products - to its customers, the last World Cup final in which England were involved created a number of home insurance claims .

These included a rugby fan who spilled chip fat on her kitchen surfaces, one who tripped over and broke the bathroom door and an incident in which an England flag dipped into an ashtray, causing a large fire.

Phil Loney, the managing director of Lloyds TSB insurance, described the nature of some of these home insurance claims as bizarre.

We covered these claims because our customers had opted for accidental damage on their home insurance policy, he remarked.

England have surprised many people by beating Australia and France to book their place in the showpiece event. They now face a daunting tie against a South Africa side who whitewashed them in the group stages.