Is your home insured this winter?

With the Christmas shopping bills piling up and homes getting more expensive to heat as the cold sets in it could be easy to put insuring ones home on the back burner.

However, Halifax Home has urged insurance consumers not to be short sighted and avoid scrimping on insuring their possessions this winter, whatever their financial pressures.

It has reminded home owners that insurance does not only protect them against accidents and burglaries but also helps to winter-proof their properties.

The insurer revealed that last winter 20,000 people had needed broken or frozen pipes fixing, each of which cost an average of £2,000 to fix – a pricy sum for the uninsured individual.

What is more, Halifax Home’s records show that 30,000 claims were made in the 2007 for storm damage last year which cost a total of £17 million to put right.

David Rochester from Halifax Home Insurance said: "With home emergencies, prevention is certainly better than the cure, and much of the damage could be avoided if householders spent a small amount of time preparing for the bad weather."

The expert added that home owners should regularly check the condition of their roofs and clear their gutters and drain pipes out in a bid to properly maintain their properties and avoid more expensive maintenance work further down the road.

Meanwhile, the Post Office has chosen to give home insurance customers an early present this festive season. The insurance provider has told customers it will bump up their cover to protect Christmas presents that usually add value to contents.

Throughout December the Post Office is increasing its contents cover by ten per cent to ensure that all gifts are protected from theft.

Head of home insurance at the Post Office Emma Baunach said: "At this time of year people often have more valuables in their homes than usual.

"Over Christmas you don't want to be worrying about whether or not you have enough cover on your home insurance, so we have made the extra cover automatic to make sure you are protected."

She added that the additional cover is totally free to customers and a genuine gesture of good will from the Post Office.