It estimates that the value of these claims is around £27.56 million. Neil Laird, Sainsbury’s Home Insurance manager, said: “There have certainly been more home insurance claims linked to water damage in recent weeks than we’d expect to see when the weather is milder. Temperatures have dropped to as low as -10C (14F) and with more cold weather predicted, we expect to see more claims linked to water damage.
“We have seen cases this year where people have gone away for a few days and switched their heating off and retuned to terrible damage, this really is a no, no. Warm water must be kept circulating even if it’s for a short period each day.”