Rampaging rodents are wreaking havoc on homeowners who are having to fork out thousands in repairs after the pests chew through wires, beams and insulation.
One animal in particular – the squirrel – is causing a headache for homeowners this year.
The number of insurance claims for damage caused by the animals has soared by 51 per cent over the past year.
The average claim for squirrel damage is £3,000, according to LV=General Insurance.
Squirrels have chewed through cables in homes
Flickr
However, one recent claim to cover damages was an eye-watering £30,000.
The claimant needed the money for repairs and for temporary housing after the creature gnawed through roof timbers, underfelt and asbestos.
Damages could cause a danger to life with one claimant saying they received an electric shock due to wires that had been chewed through.
Elsewhere, gnawed wires in a motorhome’s dashboard led to the vehicle catching on fire.
RAVAGING RODENTS:
The insurance company said that claims for damages by all animals increased by a third over the past year.
Wasp nests have caused particular problems, with one claimant setting fire to his property as he tried to take out a nest.
Claims director Martin Milliner said: “Checking your home for any gaps which could let animals enter would help prevent the majority of damage we see to pipes and electrical cables.”
In August, an entire town was left without internet for days after rodents taw through the cables.
LV Insurance said that claims for damages by all animals increased by a third over the past year
PA
An engineer from BT Openreach claimed that rats had chewed through one of the underground fibre cables, impacting the town’s 12,000 inhabitants.
Local services were put under pressure as a result of the shortages.
Rothschild House Group, which covers five surgeries, warned the issue resulted in several issues.
Patients were unable to visit the group’s sites in both Tring and Pitstone yesterday.
In a statement, the Rothschild House Group said: “The internet outage has also resulted in prescription requests for our Tring and Pitstone surgeries taking longer than normal to complete and this will affect the whole of this week.”
