A new service being offered by the Met Office may prove helpful to companies trying to assess weather-related home insurance claims, it has been suggested.

The ClaimCheck scheme provides firms with detailed information on the conditions that were prevalent in each postcode across the UK on any given date.

Previously, buildings and contents insurance providers have had to rely on limited numbers of observations and then estimate what the weather was like in between those times.

According to the Met Office, the new facility should allow companies to offer a fairer service and assess claims quicker.

Head of consulting Cathy Durston said: "ClaimCheck plugs the gaps in weather reports, providing insurers with the same quality information as used by our forecasters."

At the beginning of winter, the Met Office revealed it had teamed up with the Department of Work and Pensions to make sure vulnerable people in the UK were adequately prepared for the sub-freezing conditions predicted.

Home insurance policy holders living in Surrey may welcome news police in the area have launched a crackdown on burglary.The force explained although break-ins were not a major problem in the area, it...

Householders who leave keys in places where they can be seen by passers by could be increasing the likelihood they will have to make a home insurance claim, it has been suggested.Police in Stonesfield...

Home insurance customers in Huddersfield are being offered help that could reduce their chances of having to make a claim.West Yorkshire police announced people visiting the Armitages Garden Centre in...