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Metro
24-05-2025
- Health
- Metro
Most expensive pet to insure revealed after claims hit record £1,200,000,000
Pet owners claimed a record £1.23 billion from insurance firms to help cover vets' bills for sick and injured animals last year. Dogs led the pack, making up £933 million in claims, followed by cats at £232 million, and £61 million for other pets. The 2024 total figure was 4% higher than the previous 12 months and marked the third straight year that total payouts by members of the Association of British Insurers (ABI) topped £1 billion. It said members received 1.8 million claims last year – amounting to nearly 5,000 every day. The ABI's data also indicates that a record 4.6 million pet owners took out insurance – a 3% increase since 2023 and a third (33%) higher than before the coronavirus pandemic in 2019. Many people acquired new pets during the coronavirus lockdowns. Two years ago, Metro's Deputy Editor Claie Wilson's three-year-old cat Nelly got run over and the vets bill went into the thousands. Thankfully, she says, her pet insurance covered it, as the alternative wasn't worth thinking about. 'When Nelly had her accident it was just awful. She went missing for hours and when she finally showed up, she was in a real mess,' remembers Claie. 'She had to have her eye removed and her jaw was shattered, so had to be stapled back together. It meant Nelly had to stay at the vets for a few days and when she came home, she had to be fed by a feeding tube, with special cat food.' As well as the initial operation, the vets fees for the black and grey tabby included scans, x-rays and medication, which meant that by the time the bill came in, it was just under the maximum of Claie's policy of £5,000. 'Our vets are fantastic and their first question was how much the policy was, so they could work within my financial limits as much as possible,' she explains. 'I didn't want them to skimp on any treatment Nelly might need, but I also knew that it could end up being even more eye-wateringly expensive if I wasn't careful. 'I've had cats for years and shelled out a fortune on insurance I've never needed to use. But with Nelly I'd paid about the equivalent of about £250 when she had her accident, so it was definitely worth having,' adds Claie. 'Of course, it means the premiums have gone up – but it's just bonkers not to have insurance if you can afford it and definitely not worth the financial risk. No one wants to be in a position where they can't save their pet if they need to.' The average claim cost is £685, the ABI said, but some costs can be much higher. More Trending The price of treatment for elbow dysplasia, a common cause of forelimb lameness in young, large and giant breed dogs, can cost over £50,000, the body said. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The average cost of care needed when a pet eats something they should not, whether it is food which is poisonous to them or a small household item, is around £4,000, the ABI said. Jonathan Purvis, senior policy adviser, general insurance at the ABI said: 'You can't pull a rabbit out the hat when it comes to paying for veterinary bills, so it's promising to see more people making sensible choices to protect themselves and their pets financially. View More » 'Insurance provides peace of mind that costs will be covered if your pet is ill or injured.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: This common medical condition can hike your travel insurance premium by 1,159% MORE: Mad cow disease confirmed on Essex farm MORE: Couple renovating their 1850s home make a chilling discovery
Bloomberg
24-05-2025
- Health
- Bloomberg
Record £1.23bn Paid Out in Pet Insurance Claims in 2024
A record £1.23 billion was paid out in pet insurance claims in 2024, helping households cover the cost of veterinary treatment for unwell and injured animals, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said. Dogs led the pack, making up £933 million in claims, followed by cats at £232 million, and £61 million for other pets.
Daily Mirror
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Top 10 cheapest cars to insure for new drivers in 2025
Car insurance can be costly - particularly for those under 25 who tend to have the highest premiums Many drivers, or even those still in the learning phase, often overlook car insurance when contemplating purchasing a new vehicle. However, car insurance can be quite expensive, with various factors influencing the cost. The cost of car insurance is a big concern for drivers, particularly those under 25 who tend to have the highest premiums. A recent RAC Report on Motoring said 44% of 17–24-year-old drivers list it as their top concern. According to RAC, the most effective way of reducing your insurance premiums - particularly as a young driver - is to choose the right car. Insurance groups are decided by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), and cars in the lowest groups are generally the cheapest to insure. Cars in low insurance groups tend to be small, affordable and have low-powered engines - though that isn't always the case. RAC recommends factoring in where you live and where you park your can when considering insurance costs. RAC shared a list of the cheapest new cars to insure in 2025, based on the car's quoted insurance groups. It points out that it is designed as a guide, and insurance costs can vary depending on your individual circumstances. Top 10 cheapest cars to insure for new drivers 2025 Hyundai i10 Volkswagen Polo Skoda Fabia Kia Picanto Toyota Aygo X VW Caddy Fiat 500 Dacia Sandero Renault Clio Seat Arona What makes a car cheap to insure? According to RAC, the biggest factor that makes a car cheap to insure is its performance. They said: "Generally, a car with a large, powerful engine has a higher insurance premium than one with a small engine and more modest performance. "Insurers deem high performance cars more likely to be involved in a collision at a higher speed, and more expensive to repair or replace alongside that." Other factors that make a car cheaper to insure is a good crash safety rating, a low purchase cost and a lack of popularity with thieves.
Japan Today
16-05-2025
- Climate
- Japan Today
UK towns harness nature to combat rising flood risk
By Marie HEUCLIN In a stream near Leicester in central England, six volunteers in waterproof overalls and boots busily reinforced mini wooden structures designed to combat the rising flooding threat. The city, like many others in the UK, has experienced several intense rainfall events in recent years, which have caused significant damage. Alert to climate change, which intensifies these events, authorities are strengthening their defenses and turning to solutions more sympathetic with the environment. With their feet firmly planted on the bed of the Saffron Brook, a tributary of the River Soar that runs through Leicester, the volunteers ensured the structures' wooden bundles were securely anchored. These structures create bends that "change the behavior of the river" and slow down water in stretches where it currently flows "straight and very fast," said Dan Scott, who leads the program at the Trent Rivers Trust, a local group working to protect rivers. He regularly oversees the installation of new facilities. A few months ago, the trust dug a pond on a river near the town of Loughborough and installed dozens of leaky wooden barriers to better protect downstream houses that flooded in the past. These techniques are "complementary to traditional flood defenses" such as retention basins and canals that are increasingly under strain, Scott said. They "help to store some of that water upstream so that those traditional flood defenses don't get overwhelmed, and if they do, it's not as quickly as if these features weren't in place," he added. They also help to maintain biodiversity. More than 6.3 million properties are at risk of flooding in the UK, and this figure will rise to more than eight million by 2050, according to a recent government report. "Flooding is a really urgent societal problem," said Steven Forest, director of the Flood Risk Management Program at the University of Hull. Climate events resulted in UK insurance payouts of more than £400 million ($532 million) in 2022 and more than £570 million in 2023 and 2024, half of which was related to flooding, according to the Association of British Insurers. Beyond traditional defenses, "we need to think about living with water, and we need to think about integrating water within our urban spaces," Forest added. He cited the Netherlands, which allocates space for rivers to drain during heavy rainfall, and the United States, where vegetation "buffer zones" were created after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. "Straight-jacketing" waterways with various infrastructure is no longer sufficient, Forest said, especially since seven percent of such structures were assessed to be in "poor" or "very poor" condition by the UK Environment Agency in 2022. But convincing residents and authorities is not always an easy task as it often needs explaining that "just because we've not built a concrete solution, that it isn't going to be as effective," Scott said. "It's also about re-educating people in government because it's easier for them to sell something (to voters) that's physical and much more prominent within the landscape," he added. Traditional developments attracted the lion's share of the £2.6 billion announced by the government in March to fund new flood defense systems over the next two years. But Scott noted a greater interest in natural flood management over the past five years, with the previous government launching a £25 million program last year. As a result, Leicester will be able to develop several waterways southeast of the city, and 35 other projects have been selected in England. "It is encouraging that our successful approach to natural flood management measures is continuing to be supported," Geoff Whittle, a local councillor responsible for the environment, told AFP. Contemplating the fruits of her labour in Saffron, 50-year-old volunteer Lis Gibbs told AFP that "it feels like you can make a difference," in contrast to climate change in general, which "can feel really overwhelming". © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Savers making costly 'bad decisions' around pensions as 15 million risk retirement poverty
Britons are making "a lot of bad decisions" regarding their pensions, as research shows that 15.3 million people today are at risk of retirement poverty. Yvonne Braun, director of policy for long-term savings, health and protection at the Association of British Insurers (ABI), warned the Work and Pensions Committee that a combination of hasty withdrawals and poor financial planning was exposing pensioners to unnecessary risk. "There are quite lot of poor decisions being made in terms of people taking their money out, maybe in totality — and paying too much tax — or take the money out and put it into a bank account, which is mad. "It is just mad [withdrawing into a bank account], because they think it's more tangible. All understandable, but we certainly know there are a few bad decisions being made.' Read more: Why it's important to plan for retirement with your partner Her remarks come amid growing evidence of inadequate retirement preparation across the UK. According to a recent report from Scottish Widows (LLOY.L), 15.3 million people are now at risk of falling into poverty in retirement — a figure that has risen sharply as inflation and the cost of living continue to outstrip pension savings. The insurer's latest findings reveal that 39% of UK adults are not on track to afford even a minimum standard of living in retirement, up from 35% in 2023. The average projected retirement income has risen from £15,500 to £17,200 over the past year, but much of this increase has been eroded by rising prices. Chris Curry, director of the Pensions Policy Institute, told MPs that a significant knowledge gap is also contributing to sub-optimal retirement decisions. "These were people in the 70-80 age bracket. They didn't really understand how long they might live for, or always misunderstood the longevity risk associated with it. They didn't really understand investment and inflation; they wanted some certainty in their income but didn't want to buy an annuity. "People are tending to try and avoid making decisions for as long as they can and sometimes that leads them to having sub-optimal retirement options," he told MPs. Read more: How to plan for retirement and track your pension pot income A study from the International Longevity Centre underscored the potential value of professional financial advice, showing that individuals who seek guidance can boost their overall wealth by as much as £40,000. Financial experts typically recommend that savers aim to accumulate four times their annual salary by age 45 and eight times by 60 in order to replace around two-thirds of their income in retirement — a level often sufficient to maintain a pre-retirement lifestyle, given lower outgoings. However, younger generations are struggling to meet these targets. Scottish Widows' report found that 42% of people in their twenties are at risk of poverty in retirement, while nearly a quarter will only afford a minimum lifestyle. Competing financial priorities are playing a major role — a quarter prioritise emergency savings, while 13% are unable to save at all. Holidays and house deposits often rank higher than pension contributions. Low-to-middle income earners are similarly affected. Those earning between £20,000 and £35,000 in their 30s are the most likely to contribute only the minimum 8% under the UK's auto-enrolment scheme — far below what is needed for financial security in later life. Pete Glancy, head of pensions policy at Scottish Widows, called on the government to act swiftly. 'Our research couldn't be more timely, spelling out just how crucial targeted measures are in preventing millions from living in retirement poverty in the coming years. 'The second phase of the Government's Pensions Review must be broad enough to take a holistic view on people's financial journey through life considering wide-ranging financial goals. There are three key areas that must be addressed urgently: auto-enrolment, self-employed contribution rates and housing, considering both home ownership and affordable housing.' Read more: Best cash-saving deals as the Bank of England cuts interest rates Ignoring this form could delay pension inheritance and risk 40% tax How plans to track smaller pension pots could go further to build a lifetime potError while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
