There has been a huge in rise in the number accidental damage or loss claims made on home insurance this year in the UK, it has been revealed.

An analysis of claims by an insurance firm showed that there was 27 per cent year-on-year increase in the first three months of the year.

It added that the top five incidents claimed were made for included everyday items damaged by breakages or spillages.

Laptops, televisions, carpets, reading glasses and baths/showers were named as the top five items for which people made claims.

Despite accidental damage or loss accounting for nearly half of home insurance claims it was also found that home-incident mishaps were rated very lowly among consumers’ list of concerns.

And that damage due to DIY going wrong like paint spillage or roof through the ceiling was found to be causing little household anxiety as only two per cent mentioned it as a concern.

But there was a high risk of such incidents happening with about 18 per cent admitting to a DIY job that went wrong.