Looking in the London Metro newspaper (18th April edition) it was interesting to see just how many insurance related articles were reported. The Metro reported that according to the watchdog Which?, water companies are encouraging customers to spend £100 million pounds a year on pipe insurance that, they say is needless when water firms offer free repairs anyway. Apparently, 667,000 homes in the Anglian, Southern and United utilities are paying £35 per year for this cover to a firm called Homeserve.

Which are calling on the regulator to take action. Some home insurance policies may cover this anyway so it is worth checking your policy. Where someone has an unoccupied house insurance policy or an empty home insurance quote, it is rarely covered.

In other news, a policeman accidentally tweeted that an aircraft had crashed in Camberley, Surrey. Apparently he actually meant to just update his status about his beat – most odd, but aircraft damage is covered by most policies in any case – except sonic booms.

The weather has also hit the news with “marble-sized”hailstones and an inch of rain in the South of England today along with winds of up to 60mph. Thankfully the strength of such winds would be classed as storm under the majority of house insurance polices. It is forecast that there is more to come, despite a hose-pipe ban.

It was also reported in the Metro that organ traffickers are suspected eyes of two deceased people in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Theft is a huge problem but is there nothing sacred?

A gas fitter has been jailed for manslaughter following sub standard work on a home that subsequently killed an occupant with carbon monoxide poisoning. Whether he had liability insurance and whether or not insurers would have indemnified him is unclear but the judge obviously took a dim view on his rushed boiler installation and sentenced him to three years imprisonment for manslaughter by gross negligence.

And finally, the Metro printed a picture of a car in the middle of the New Mexican desert, clearly with nothing for miles around and hit what looks like an isolated telegraph pole. Typical that there happened to be a photographer there….