Drivers who've driven car in past 48 hours warned insurance could be 'invalidated'
Drivers have been warned they risk invalidating their insurance for a simple flood mistake. Graham Conway, Managing Director at Select Car Leasing, warned most insurance companies will not pay out if a car was damaged when a driver travels through flood water on purpose.
After flooding across the UK on Monday, which began on Sunday evening, Mr Conway explained: "While insurance companies are likely to pay out for unavoidable damage to cars caused by rising floodwaters, it's another thing when a driver has knowingly taken risks when there were other route options available.
"If you have not taken every precaution to safeguard your car, and your chosen route was avoidable, an insurance company may refuse to pay out on your claim, particularly if there's video or photographic evidence highlighting your poor decision-making."
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He added: "Make no mistake, damage caused by flood water can be extreme. If you end up with a 'hydrolocked' engine, where there's so much water in the cylinders that the pistons have seized, you could be looking at a repair bill running to several thousands of pounds - or you may have to replace the engine entirely.
"If your vehicle is too damaged to make it through the stretch of surface water, it can leave your car stranded. To top it all off, depending on the depth of water in which your vehicle is stranded in, a recovery vehicle may not be able to reach your car safely, which could cause further delay and frustration to your day whilst you are waiting for a larger vehicle to arrive."
Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick said: “There may be odd, heavier bursts just clipping the south-east as a system does slowly start to move away, but it’s a much drier day for most people. There is going to be some isolated showers here and there, but they’re going to be very light, nothing like the torrential rain that we’ve seen over the last couple of days.”