New Year’s Day sees a 165 per cent increase in home insurance claims, following parties that get out of control and lead to damage or theft, according to statistics from HSBC.

The day after the night before will leave many householders with more than a headache, with typical post New Year’s Eve home insurance claims consisting of smashed mirrors, broken windows, and stolen possessions.

One HSBC home insurance customer had to make a claim for £127,000 after an unattended candle led to a house fire.

David Wells, head of insurance propositions at HSBC, said: “At this time of the year, many people will be attending various New Year’s gatherings or hosting parties of their own, which invariably mean wine spilt on expensive carpets, broken glasses or even an unplanned bonfire in your living room.”

But there are ways of avoiding disaster on the last day of the year, HSBC home insurance urges, such as moving all valuable possessions out of harms way, never leaving burning candles unattended, avoiding unwanted party guests by not posting details on social networking sites such as Facebook, keeping fireworks a safe distance from the property, and checking that home insurance is in place which will provide cover for accidental damage.

Mr Wells added: “New Year should be a fun time of the year and while householders can take practical measures to help prevent these mishaps, accidents do happen. It’s therefore important to make sure you have adequate home insurance so that you can enjoy the festivities in the knowledge that the contents of your home are protected, should the worst happen.”

© Fair Investment Company Ltd