British Summer Time was invented by a London builder called William Willett who lobbied members of parliament, councils and businesses with his idea in 1907. He claimed then that advancing clocks in the spring and moving them back again in the autumn would save the country £2.5 million and make us all happier. His idea was ridiculed and he died a year before daylight saving time was finally introduced in 1916 as a wartime economy measure.
According to Saga Home Insurance, the start of British summer time marks the start of the peak burglary season because we are more likely to leave doors and windows open, and leave valuables lying around outside.
Apparently we’ll be prompted to do this by an outbreak of sweltering summer heat, hard though that may be to imagine after the past few weeks.
Too many people shortsightedly try to save money by not insuring the contents of their homes. You might not like in effect gambling on being robbed, but it’s better than suddenly having to find the money for new TVs, DVDs and cameras.
However on the other hand as we English well know our summers are famous for being erratic!
We're all facing up to climate change and there are all sorts of implications for the country in terms of having to adapt to that change. During May, June and July 2007 We experienced the highest level of rainfall ever recorded in this country since the 18th century, so understandably there were very high volumes of water and big implications for emergency services.
A bit of rain is bad enough but thousands of people around the country were clearing up the damage from the downpours which left homes flooded and hundreds of people in temporary accommodation.
The dramatic pictures of cars submerged, dams at breaking point and people sandbagging their properties brought the issue of home insurance clearly into focus. If the worst should happen you want to know that you will be covered against for every eventuality.
Abbey research shows around 8,600 weather-related insurance claims were made on one recent day alone with 3,200 for flooding and 5,000 for storm damage. In most of these cases these claims will have been made against structural damage or through home buildings policies as they are known.
The key to finding the right policy for you is to search the market. MoneyExpert.com can help you to see what's on offer all in one place. Once you've found a policy you think you can afford read the fine print. None of us like doing this but it's where you find out what you will actually be covered for. Only a couple of policies for example will cover your garden fences against storm damage.
Helen says: For most of us our property is the most expensive asset we own, protecting it against damage is one of the smartest financial moves you can make.
Check out your current policy and what you’re getting and see if there is anything out there which offers better value for money and greater peace of mind.
