Flooding! What to do if disaster strikes

Given the rising trend for winter caravanning, there is a significant chance that some caravans could be flooded before the end of the year.

In fact, this problem is so widespread that the Department for Food and Rural Affairs has announced in previous years that 28 per cent of the UK caravan parks are at risk of flooding.

What can you do?

The minute the water starts to enter a caravan through a vent you do start to get damage inside the caravan

Edward Cross, insurance expert at Towergate, explains that this is a very serious problem: "The minute the water starts to enter a caravan through a vent you do start to get damage inside the caravan."

"The floor will start to swell, and the units will start to swell, and by that time the caravan is really pretty much beyond repair. If this kind of accident does happen, then it's crucial that customers should contact their insurer immediately and give them all the details they can."

In situations such as this, your caravan insurance will often prove invaluable, since you may be eligible for a replacement caravan. Furthermore, if you have new-for-old cover, then you could even get a brand new caravan, meaning your summer holidays don't have to be completely ruined.

Head for the high ground

If it's a location where there's a history of flooding, you should check your policy documents carefully to ascertain if your caravan is still covered

So what can caravan owners do to ensure that their tourer doesn't get damaged by flood water in the first place?

Choice of caravan park is obviously crucial, and visiting sites that have a history of flooding is certainly not recommended.
What's more, if you plan to site your caravan on a seasonal pitch in an area that is prone to flooding, then you may see your insurance premiums rise as a result and it may be difficult to arrange cover at all.

"With touring caravans, it's difficult to be very prescriptive about where they're going to be kept," Ed continues, "But certainly if it's a location where there's a history of flooding, you should check your policy documents carefully to ascertain if your caravan is still covered."

So whilst the vast majority of the UK is open for touring caravanners to explore, a certain level of caution is recommended when looking at a riverside pitch.