Zurich: Homeowners must prepare for inclement weather

British homeowners have been advised that they should be paying special attention to the safety and security of their homes as severe weather warnings are issued.

Unpredictable behaviour in the weather is becoming more common on Britain – last year a 130mph tornado hit Birmingham and earlier this year the UK felt the effects of the tail end of Hurricane Gordon.

According to insurance provider Zurich, reports claimed that the incident in Birmingham cost as much as £25 million and many local residents had to cover the cost themselves.

Research by the company has revealed that one in ten Britons have no home contents insurance and one in five are potentially underinsured as they are not fully aware of the value of their possessions.

"It really is worth putting a couple of hours aside to tot up the value of your home contents to ensure that you are adequately covered," said Keith Lewis, spokesperson for Zurich’s personal insurance business.

"This is especially important for higher value items, as most insurers will require homeowners to inform them of valuables such as jewellery, gold and silver articles, works of art and the like worth in excess of £1,500 or each individual item will only be covered up to this limit, should the worst happen."