Recent figures have shown that the cost of the average home insurance premium has risen by 6% since the start of the year. The statistics were collected by leading insurance price comparison website, moneysupermeraket.com, who believe the hike in insurance costs is down to the costly clean-up bills the industry has been faced with following the big freeze at the end of December last year. With thousands of homes across the UK putting in claims for burst water pipes and other damage caused by the plummeting temperatures, home insurance rates have increased in order to compensate for the high number of claims which have been made over the course of the last few months. On average, moneysupermarket.com found that all home buildings and contents insurance policies have increased by 6% since the start of 2011, which means that the cost of an average policy has increased from £142 to £151 during this time. However home insurance has got a long way to go before it can catch up with the rate at which car insurance premiums are rising; over the course of the last year, car insurance prices rose by a staggering 31% According to insurance experts, the hike in premiums isn’t likely to stop any time soon either, with increases in insurance cost predicted to continue to rise over the coming years. However there are steps you can take to help battle the rising cost of home insurance – fitting a burglar alarm, and also joining a local neighbourhood watch group could help keep your home insurance rates from increasing dramatically.