Simon Lamble, product director at Confused.com - the UK’s leading insurance price comparison service - comments on the British Crime Survey’s (BCS) burglary findings:

“Although it is good news that there have been no real rise in the level of UK burglaries between 2006/2007 and 2007/2008, it is important not to rest on our laurels, as 729,000 burglaries are still taking place annually.

“The fact that homes with no security measures are ten times (25%) more likely to be burgled than homes with simple security measures (2%), such as deadlocks, should be taken on-board by those who are leaving themselves vulnerable to theft and criminal damage. Confused.com would advise that robust security and preventative measures are taken at all times - advice which is clearly not being heeded, as almost one third (31%) of homeowners still do not have burglar alarms fitted to their homes.*

“Despite the fact that 2.4% of households still experience once or more burglaries every year, home contents insurance is not a legal requirement. However, it should be considered an absolute necessity, as by failing to insure their home contents Britons are potentially setting themselves up for a large bill, not to mention emotional turmoil, should they be unfortunate enough to suffer any loss or damage.

“Shopping around for home insurance using a price comparison site could help consumers to make significant savings, never mind the peace of mind that the cover will bring. In fact, Confused.com found that the average home insurance saving, per customer using the site, was £193.81.”

* Statistic taken from Confused.com research which was undertaken by Tickbox in June 2008; based on a survey of 2,000 people.

With the school holidays upon us, many parents will be worrying about keeping the kids entertained over the summer holidays.   Of equal concern however should be the threat of damage to possessions that arises from having children at home, especially with the risk of frequent summer downpours still on the horizon.   According to the Tescocompare.com ‘Mr Bump’ report - children and teenagers are to blame for 1.1 million accidents in the home each year - from spilling drinks on soft furnishings, to breaking household ornaments or posting toast into the DVD player.

The report from the recently launched home insurance service at Tescocompare.com, reveals that the total bill from young children is around £229 million pounds each year, and that in households with young children - they are responsible for over four in ten (42%) of all accidents and damage to the home.   Adults in these households only account for 33% accidents by comparison.

Older children - those in their teens - pose less of a threat, but still accounted for 250,000 accidents in the last year, with damages totalling £68 million pounds.   However teenagers are considerably less of a risk, only being at fault for one in five (21%) of accidents in homes in which they live.   This drops them to second place in the ‘blame stakes’ - behind adults who are responsible on one in three occasions (33%).

However those without children should not rest easy - the research reveals that visiting youngsters were responsible for 250,000 of the 850,000 accidents caused by young children last year.   Meaning kids caused £68 million pounds of damage last year alone to other people’s houses.

Commenting on the research, Paul Baxter of Tescocompare.com said:

“As the saying goes accidents do happen - and this research suggests many of us suffer financial loses on an annual basis.  What is worrying is that over four in ten (41%) of us don’t cover ourselves for accidents in the home - leaving us at risk of being seriously out of pocket.    You can insure against accidental damage - and the new home insurance service on Tescocompare.com will enable you to see what is covered, and what is not, in the event of an accident - as well as how much extra you can pay to cover against mishaps around the house.

“With children at home during the holidays the likelihood for accidents to happen increases - and if you aren’t covered for accidental damage to your possessions it isn’t too late to add this cover to your policy - visit Tescocompare.com today to see how much it will cost.”

Tescocompare.com allows consumers searching for car insurance or home and contents insurance to compare 25 different policy features - as well as the premium quoted. Comparing on more than just price allows consumers to chose, not just the cheapest policy, but also the one which is right for them.

Tescocompare.com differentiates itself from other comparison sites by the fact that the premium quoted will be the price that consumers pays, assuming they don’t change the level of cover they need when they click through to the insurer. Also, the price quoted on Tescocompare.com will be the same or cheaper than if the customer went direct.