"Even small checks such as making sure sockets aren’t overloaded with Christmas lights will make a difference, as it doesn’t need to be a large item to spark and create a fire."
- Martin Milliner, LV= General Insurance claims director
In August, LV= issued a warning after an increase in fire and subsidence-related claims triggered by record temperatures. At the time, the insurer was handling claims costs totalling £1.2m following the extreme heatwave and fire-related incidents throughout July.
READ MORE: Extreme temperatures will see subsidence and fire claims rise warns LV=
Less than 6 months later, LV= has issued another fire-related warning after new data revealed fire claims had risen by 40% in the last year alone. The insurer has advised its consumers to keep a close eye on items that might pose a fire hazard, especially electrical appliances, and candles.
According to LV=GI new claims data, fires from candles rose by 1600% within one month from November to December 2021 and accounted for the highest number of candle-related claims in the last five years – up by 70% from December 2020 and 54% from 2019.
However, when looking at fire claims by overall volume, electrical appliances made up the majority of fire claims (23%) followed by cooking accidents (11%), coal/log fire accidents (10%), electrical wiring issues (9%), then candles (7%).
Out of these, electrical wiring issues stand out as a non-appliance related concern. LV= noted that as well as appliances, it has dealt with home claims where the age of a home and its electrical wiring has triggered a fire. Since 94% of electrical wiring-related fires have happened in properties built pre-1992, before the British Standards Institute introduced wiring regulations, the insurer highlighted that homeowners are ‘at risk’ if fuse boxes and mains electrics aren’t checked every 5-10 years.
Commenting on this warning, Martin Milliner, LV= General Insurance claims director, has said:
“There are so many hazards out there that will easily start a fire and we want to warn consumers about the risks through the insight and increase in claims we’re seeing. As the weather gets colder and we edge towards Christmas, we’re all going to be looking for alternative ways to heat and run our homes, and it’s about doing this in the safest way possible.”
