Floods and robbery are usually expected home insurance claims - but what about the bizarre ones?
Home and Garden on Female First
According to specialist insurance provider RIAS, even a harmless snail can cause no end of havoc in the home.
RIAS has revealed its most bizarre home insurance claims during 2012 -2013, which resulted in some quite significant damage:
Badger bother: A 71 year old woman from Bath locked a badger in her shed which then managed to bash a hole in the wall to escape
Barking mad: After seeing a dog on the TV screen, a dog in Galashiels decided to jump into the screen after it
Melting madness: A small child spilt a glass of coke on his grandad’s laptop. Drying it with a hairdryer melted the keys, causing £239 worth of damage
Snail trail: A snail ate £78 worth of carpet in the home of a 73 year old man from Preston
Winds of damage: Gusty winds blew a 62 year old’s glasses off his face, which were then immediately run over by a car, resulting in £469 worth of damage
Squirrel away! A trapped squirrel in the garage of an 86 year old woman from Exeter managed to crack a window and escape
Skype sickness: A grandfather in Guildford held his baby grandson up to show him off over Skype. The baby then threw up on the laptop causing £437 worth of damage
Pigeon post: A pigeon fell down a chimney and flew into a house, damaging the carpet, ornaments and sofa to the tune of over £8,000
Puppy panic: A seven month old puppy in Cardiff stole a one litre bottle of oil from the kitchen, dragged it to the living room and chewed it on the sofa, causing £953 worth of damage
Oh Dear: A deer fell into the swimming pool of a 74 year old man from Guildford, damaging the cover.
Peter Corfield, Managing Director at RIAS says: “While we go out of our way to ensure that our homes and gardens are safe and secure, sometimes it’s the most unlikely events that can end up causing real damage. Not all claims are straightforward and sometimes we do see some bizarre scenarios. Babies and animals are often the culprits!”