Aviva has offered assurances that it is monitoring the aftermath of Storm Ciara closely, as it issues an update on claims.

“Since Storm Ciara hit over the weekend, we’ve been providing emergency support to our customers across the UK,” noted Andrew Morrish, UK claims director for Aviva. “We’ve also been sharing advice through our website and social media channels, to help our customers to take preventative steps.

“Storm Ciara is unusual in that it has affected a wide area and so far we’ve seen an increase of around 285% in telephone calls and claims, compared to January. Customers are able to contact us in a number of ways and around 10% of people have made a claim using our online claims facility.”

Morrish said the majority of claims have been for properties with loose roof tiles, broken windows, and fallen trees due to the strong winds. In addition, Aviva has also begun to see flood claims.

“We are speaking to customers across many parts of the country, but the worst affected areas are Nottingham, Birmingham, Norwich, Sheffield, and Bradford,” added the claims director.

“To help our customers, we are using technology to help settle claims more quickly, either using desk-based technology to assess damage, or through our storm calculators. This means that around 12% of customers have already received payments.”

Meanwhile, with Storm Dennis on the radar, Morrish is encouraging people to take precautions to protect their properties and vehicles.