Money News

Festival goers should be on alert to thieves

By Martin Fagan - news@consumerchoices.co.uk

Expensive items taken by festival revellers not covered by insurance, says Aviva.

People gearing themselves up to attend one of the many music festivals across the UK this summer should take precautions to safeguard their possessions.

According to insurance giant Aviva, 14% of people who have been to a festival have had belongings lost or stolen there.

With many festival-goers taking expensive personal items such as smartphones, MP3 players and cameras, Aviva calculated the average value of possessions taken to a festival at £928.

Official crime statistics and police records obtained by Aviva reveal that, at the top seven UK festivals last year, there were 945 separate reported incidents of thefts with a combined value of £190,000.

The biggest problem was thieves targeting tents, with 650 such crimes reported; but there were also 295 reported instances of personal thefts, such as pick pocketing.

However, many who believe they are covered by their household contents policy are in for a nasty shock.

Unless you have paid an additional premium - around £20 a year - for Personal Belongings Cover on your home insurance, these items aren’t covered outside your home and, although you may report a theft to the police and get a crime number, your insurance company will not compensate you for the loss.

"Like any events with crowds of people all carrying expensive gear there’s a risk of crime and our research shows it’s definitely worth being as aware of security as you are of the bands on the bill,” said Jonathan Cracknell, household underwriter at Aviva.

“Unless you have additional personal belongings cover on your home insurance, your belongings aren’t covered outside your home, so it might be worth checking to see if you have the cover already or if it is worth adding it.”