Does your home insurance cover your Christams purchases

Is the insurance for the contents of your house and garden robust enough to cover Christmas? The season of largesse and generosity approaches but not everybody is so inclined towards goodwill; professional burglars and opportunistic thieves welcome Christmas as a time for rich pickings.

Millions without cover

There are over 11 million homes in the UK with no contents insurance at all, according to Prudential. Those that do have their possessions protected against theft or accidental damage by insurance do not necessarily have their level of cover automatically increased over the festive period - and around 14% of home contents policies on the market do not provide this feature.

It has been reported that, collectively, we are expected to spend £33 billion this Christmas. Last year, according to industry figures, we spent an average of £387 on presents and the typical household played host to seven people on the 25th. So, theoretically, the goodies under the tree had a total value of £2,709. It's not the time to fall asleep after the turkey; you may wake up wishing that the motto in your cracker had read Think Like A Thief.

Getting wise to the burgular

This is the message being promoted by Prudential, utilising the advice of ex-burglar-turned-actor Mark Whiteley. Most people buy their presents and provisions in a steady, organised manner in the weeks leading up to the big day, rather than in a frenzied do-or-die scrabble in the dwindling hours of Christmas Eve. But then they leave said purchases in full sight of an opportunist tea leaf looking through a window, or hide them in rather obvious places. "It's important to keep your presents out of sight, especially gadgets such as digital cameras, play stations and laptops which are easy to pocket and make for attractive sellable items on the black market," says Mr Whiteley.

Apparently one in 10 gift-buyers hide presents in front rooms or the kitchen whilst over half of homeowners secrete them in bedrooms. Most burglars choose the easiest point of entry, usually the back door (locks are easily forced), or you might have left out a convenient ladder and failed to close a bedroom window. Once inside its just a matter of checking out the obvious hiding places, if presents are not piled around the tree or laid out on the dining table ready for wrapping.

Click here for a complete list of low rate UK Insurance that can be applied for online