“We believe that the average New Year party claim costs around £750 but we have dealt with incidents at teenage parties that have cost much more.”

Some of the more memorable New Year party claims include:

•The Glasgow man who danced so vigorously that he lost his balance and fell through the patio doors of the host’s house causing £1,500 worth of damage. Fortunately he was not badly hurt.

•A Newcastle reveller who thought it would be a good idea to hang from the host’s ceiling light. The ceiling came down with him costing £800 to repair

•The Nottingham lady who put the heel of her stiletto shoe through the seat of a leather chair as she tried to retrieve a balloon from the ceiling

•In Bristol, a teenager’s party got so out of hand that the theft and malicious damage claim came to

•The London party goer who knocked the contents of a pint of lager down the back of a television. Cost £550

•The Brighton teenagers who decided to pull up the lounge carpet so that they could break dance on the hard wood floor beneath. The carpet ripped in the process and cost £2,000 to replace.

Harry Rule said:

“We would strongly recommend that you move as many of your possessions out of the way as possible. Anything can happen when New Year party fever takes hold.”

1.Geographic variations to the opinion research questions are available and cover the following areas:

Eastern Scotland
London South East
Midlands South West
North East Wales
North West Yorkshire
Northern Ireland

Age variations are also available split:

16 – 24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55+

2.Cornhill Direct - Background

Cornhill Direct was established in 1995 and is part of Allianz Cornhill, one of the largest general insurers in the UK. Cornhill Direct provides car, home, travel and van insurance.