Storm season is here! So put away those caravan awnings…

Storm season is officially in full swing, after kicking off in November with Storm Arwen and then Storm Barra in December. With the storms come some inevitable damage, such as destruction caused by flooding and flying debris. Furthermore, with storm winds often hitting 81 mph in the UK, any awnings left up can be completely ripped from the caravan; sometimes damaging the awning, the caravan and other property that the awning hits.

‘All season’ awnings

Some manufacturers market their awnings as ‘all-season awnings’, however, please don’t be fooled into thinking that they are storm resistant. Stephen Lawrence, from Shield Total Insurance caravan claims team explains:

“Every time there’s a storm in the UK, we have claims for awning-related damage. Sometimes I speak to customers who are surprised that their ‘all-season’ awning has been damaged as they thought it should withstand that weather.”

Do you leave your awning unattended?

An awning is a significant part of your caravanning kit; it goes towards your sums insured and what you pay overall for your insurance premium for your caravan. However, did you know that you’re only covered to leave the awning unattended for 4 days under the terms of the policy? We recommend that all awnings are put away when not in use, to avoid any damage or unnecessary claims.

So, while the storm season is in full swing in the UK, please remember to put away your awnings when not in use or when a storm is on its way, and avoid unnecessary damage.