One in ten: No home insurance

One in ten people have no home contents insurance.

Research by Sainsbury's shows 4.7 million people have no protection for their possessions in the event of a burglary, fire or other catastrophe.

Across the country, 22 per cent of Londoners have no contents insurance, while 11 per cent of those in the south-east and ten per cent in the West Midlands have no cover.

The most protected areas are Scotland and Yorkshire where 95 per cent and 97 per cent have contents insurance, according to the research.

Neil Laird, Sainsbury's home insurance manager, said: "It's remarkable given the value of people's home contents that so many do not have cover.

"Home insurance does not have to be expensive. You can spread the cost over the course of a year and some insurers will not charge for this. There are also some great discounts on cover available at the moment."

Some 35 per cent of those without content insurance said they did not think it was necessary.

While they may not consider they have many possessions, the cost of replacing your clothes alone can be hundreds of pounds, while books and DVD collections can mean thousands of pounds could be lost.

Fourteen per cent of people said they could not afford home insurance and eight per cent said they have nothing of value.

Some ten per cent just did not know why they did not have home insurance.

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