According to recent statistics, the cold weather which hit Britain at the end of last year was responsible for over £1 billion worth of insurance claims. The Association of British Insurers found that the total bill for both home and car insurance claims during the big freeze in December amounted to £1.43 billion, with a total of 467,000 claims being recorded during this period. 190,000 of these claims were found to be for home insurance with the most common problems being caused by burst pipes in the home. The cost of repair for household damage following the plummeting temperatures was estimated to be £900 million. When it comes to car insurance, the number of claims is even higher, with 278,000 being recorded during the cold snap. Accidents caused by icy road conditions including collisions with other vehicles and stationary objects were one of the biggest causes of claims during this time. In total it’s believed the cost of damage to cars came to £530 million. These figures are up on previous statistics as a similar period of cold weather previously recorded total insurance claims of £700 million. The insurance experts say the high number of claims during this period of adverse weather only goes to highlight the importance of insurance for both property and motor vehicles.