Stormy weather in June has led to a surge in insurance claims for damage caused by lightning strikes, one of the UK’s largest insurers has said.
Direct Line said that since the start of the month it had received more than 200 home insurance claims for lightning damage, when it usually receives between 10 and 20 a month.
Among the claims are one for £45,884 worth of damage from a policyholder in Preston who saw their electrical system hit, causing damage to a range of equipment including CCTV cameras, burglar alarms and televisions, and a central control system for their property.
The insurer said a lightning strike could cause extensive and instantaneous damage, “frying” circuits so electrical items would have to be replaced.
It said Wednesday night’s storms had hit Romford in Essex and Westminster in central London hardest, and it had sent emergency response vehicles to help householders in flood-hit areas.
Liam Farnell, head of Direct Line’s home field force, said: “We take the current severe weather and flooding extremely seriously, and have put our emergency action plans into place ... Our priority is reassuring householders with Direct Line home insurance policies and getting them back in their homes as quickly as possible.”
