Check home insurance this Christmas

Households should not scrimp on home insurance to save money, especially over the festive period when houses will be packed with presents .

Research from Virgin Money finds that despite the credit crunch £82.3 billion will be spent in the last quarter of the year, meaning many homes will be ideal targets for burglars.

The financial organisation is advising households to ensure their home insurance is up-to-date and covers all the presents they have bought.

Some policies automatically offer extra cover at Christmas, but some do not, so homeowners need to ensure they are covered.

Grant Bather, spokesman at the company, says many people will be looking to cut back this festive period, but home insurance is not the area to do it in.

Just because it's Christmas it doesn't mean that burglars stop working and that accidents do not happen, he adds.

Homeowners should be vigilant and ensure that they have adequate insurance and protection in place.

Confused.com advised anyone going away for the Christmas break to ensure they have valid home insurance before setting off.

The comparison site warned some policies say the home cannot be unoccupied for 30 days or more, meaning some long breaks may cause the policy to be invalid.