Britain's 10 most bizarre insurance claims

Updated
Image AA027581  (Royalty-free)  Collection:  Photodisc GreenCaption:   Bearded dragon with tongue sticking out  Photographer:  G
Image AA027581 (Royalty-free) Collection: Photodisc GreenCaption: Bearded dragon with tongue sticking out Photographer: G



We spend our lives trying to prepare for the worst and stave off disaster. We drive carefully in the wet, put valuables out of reach of adventurous children, and keep the dog away from the chocolate biscuits. But while we can protect ourselves against the kinds of incidents we expect, sometimes accidents happen that are so bizarre that nobody could predict them.

RIAS has recently revealed its list of the 10 weirdest insurance claims of 2014.

1. Dogs have played their part in a number of these claims. First was the overly enthusiastic dog in Slough, who decided that he fancied a swim in the crystal clear ocean water. Unfortunately the ocean in question was on the TV screen in the living room, so his enthusiasm led to a £250 claim for a new TV.

2. Then there was the Carlisle man, who was enjoying a cup of tea with his laptop open on his knee, when the doorbell rang. His dog - assuming it was a delivery of dog biscuits and bouncy balls - decided to use his owner as a springboard in order to reach the front door more efficiently. The smashed laptop screen set his owner back over £470.

3. Cats have to shoulder their share of the blame too: an owner of a cat in Milton Keynes discovered what happens when curious cats, coffee and laptops are left in too close proximity. The soaked keyboard cost £470 to repair.

4. Two battling cats, meanwhile, chose a Norwich living room as their arena and the fallout was a broken TV and £380 worth of damage.
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5. Birds were responsible for a couple of incidents too. A disagreement between two magpies in Kilmarnock led to a scuffle that ended in them crashing through a conservatory - causing over £400 worth of damage.

6. Then there was the July evening in Northampton that saw a real life game of Angry Birds unfold when a pigeon catapulted a vase from a bathroom windowsill into a toilet, scoring £193 worth of points for a cracked toilet bowl.

7. Even lizards can lead to the unexpected. A Belfast resident incurred the wrath of his pet bearded dragon while cleaning its tank. The lizard sunk his teeth into the man's hand, causing him to jump backwards into his TV - leading to a claim for nearly £400 worth of damage.

8. But sometimes we have nobody to blame but ourselves. In one incident a Rochester man was brushing his teeth when a wasp flew through the window. In a panicked attempt to shoo it away he knocked over a glass, which cracked the basin, and cost him £1,000.

9. In another, gentle sibling rivalry escalated into all-out warfare at a house in Motherwell, when a brother took off his shoe and threw it at his sister. Fortunately for her, he missed his target. Unfortunately he hit the TV screen - causing £667 worth of damage

10. And finally there was the Enfield man who, in a moment of Heston Blumenthal-esque inspiration, attempted to barbeque an entire goose. Instead of turning out crisp and delicious it melted the barbeque instead - causing over £1,300 worth of damage.

Fans of odd insurance claims will know that while this list definitely qualifies as odd and in many cases unexpected - it lacks the surreal quality of some of last year's winners.

Who can forget the deer that fell into a Guildford swimming pool damaging the cover, the snail that ate £78 of carpets in Preston, or the baby who was being shown off on Skype and threw up over the computer?

However, as this list shows us every year, while we take the time and effort securing our homes and gardens against floods, storms and burglars, we can still be caught out by an ambitious chef, a lizard with attitude or a rogue wasp.

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