Remember, Remember the Fifth of November . . .

MANCHESTER, England - The Co-operative Insurance is urging people to take sensible steps to avoid unnecessary insurance claims this Bonfire Night.

Each year, insurers receive reports of incidents from customers needing to make unexpected claims on their insurance as rogue fireworks and over-exuberant bonfires turned Bonfire Night enjoyment into an insurance headache.

James Hillon, Head of Home Insurance at The Co-operative Insurance, explained: “We all love Bonfire Night and we are certainly not trying to pour cold water on anyone’s enjoyment - we’re just asking people to think of the safety of their homes, their cars and other people’s property, as well as themselves, this year.

“Whether you’re planning to just let a few fireworks off in your garden, or you’re holding a lavish firework party, it’s important that you check your insurance cover. Many families spend time making sure they’re safe and warm before venturing out - but we also suggest that checking your household and car insurance should be part of your preparations for the big night.”

If you do decide to have a bonfire and fireworks at home, The Co-operative Insurance advises you to think about their location - make sure they’re not too close to your house, car, outbuildings, fences or hedges, and don’t stand too close, just in case things get out of hand.

If things do go wrong, household insurance policies should cover most incidents, including damage to garden sheds and garages.

If you are legally liable for damaging someone else’s property or injure them through your own negligence, then the public liability section of your household contents policy will provide cover for claims made against you.

For those insured with The Co-operative Insurance for home insurance (www.co-operativeinsurance.co.uk/servlet/Satellite/1203668836269 ,CFSweb/Page/Insurance-Home) policyholders can, if they find that their property has been damaged through someone else’s negligence, use the legal expenses insurance and legal advice helpline, included at no extra cost, to assist them in recovering damages.

James concluded: “We want people to enjoy themselves so our main advice would be to go to an organised event where you can safely enjoy the excitement of Bonfire Night. However, if you do decide to have firework fun at home, make sure you put your own safety and the safety of your and others property first.”

And remember…… it’s not just property claims we should be aware of personal injury claims are now common place too. When handling fireworks always follow the ‘firework code’ - too many people are still injured as a result of fireworks being used or handled incorrectly. 23% of those injured are injured at family or private parties while only 3% are injured at large public displays, with 63% of those injured having to receive hospital treatment. Of those injured 87% were male and sadly over half of them (77%) were under the age of 18.

Notes to Editors

About The Co-operative Financial Services

The Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) is part of The Co-operative Group, which is the world’s largest consumer co-operative with around five million members, over GBP14 billion turnover, and core business interests in financial services, car insurance ( www.co-operativeinsurance.co.uk/servlet/Satellite/1195118367483 ,CFSweb/Page/Insurance-Car), food, travel, pharmacy and funeral care. The Co-operative Group has over 5,000 retail trading outlets.

(Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste this hyperlink into your Internet browser’s URL address field. Remove the space if one exists.)

Following the merger with Britannia Building Society on 1 August 2009, the new organisation is one of the largest and well diversified mutual businesses operating in both retail and corporate markets.

As part of The Co-operative Group, the new business will be characterised by its unique ethical and member reward policies and very high levels of customer advocacy.

The combined business has GBP70 billion in assets, 12,000 staff and nine million customers. It has over 300 high street branches, 20 corporate banking centres and a major presence in Manchester, London, Leek, Bristol, Plymouth, Skelmersdale and Stockport. There are also 1,000 face-to-face financial advisers throughout the UK.

It is the only mutual organisation that enables its members to earn financial rewards for the products they hold, as well as giving them the opportunity to have a say in how the business is ran. To find out more visit www.co-operativeinsurance.co.uk.

Source: The Co-operative Financial Services

For further information please contact: Jayne Dono, The Co-operative Financial Services Press Office, Tel: +44(0)1538-393077, Fax: +44(0)1538-393337