Secured loans holders have been urged to ensure their homes have adequate protection from the possibility of storm damage.

Insurance company esure warned that severe gales have been forecast this week by the Met Office and advised that steps should be taken to minimise the effects on property.

These include replacing or repairing damaged roof tiles, as well as having a tree surgeon see to any branches that look unsafe.

Head of risk and underwriting at esure home insurance Mike Pickard explained that the weather is "seemingly breaking new records each year", adding: "It's not just the storms in the financial market that homeowners should be thinking about at the moment."

The firm noted that £350 million worth of damage was caused by the Kyrill storm last year.

Last week Zurich found that two-thirds of homeowners feel unprepared for flooding, while 44 per cent do not know if their home insurance policies would cover such an event.

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