Treacherous weather conditions cost insurers £650m

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) today reported the heavy snowfall earlier in the year cost insurers £650 million in weather-related claims.

Between December 18 and January 13, when snow and plummeting temperatures swept the country, there were around 335,000 claims, said the ABI.

The majority of the claims came from motorists as a result of the treacherous conditions on Britain’s roads. January was the eighth coldest on record and the UK’s worst since 1987.

However, the ABI said the figure is well below the £3 billion insurers paid out following the storms in 2007.

The group said it is too soon to say whether the claims for this winter will result in an increase in insurance premiums.

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