Santa's sleigh insured for £250 million
Santa has been gifted £250 million of fully comprehensive sleigh insurance ahead of his whirlwind trip around the UK this Christmas.
Experts say insurance is essential, as Santa is known for navigating tricky weather conditions and tight chimney squeezes.
The policy - gifted by temporary vehicle insurance company Tempcover - means the jolly red-suited king of Christmas will be protected for up to £25 million of damage to chimneys and £50 million for broken roof tiles as he lands his sleigh on the nation’s roofs.
With arctic icy conditions set to add a little extra chill to Santa's UK ride, his insurance also includes cover for potential damage from slippery landings.
The policy will last for 24 hours – giving Santa plenty of time to reach the UK’s 28.4 million households. Criss-crossing the country to visit every home could mean a journey of one million miles, as calculated by Tempcover experts.
Santa’s sleigh insurance policy also includes Driving Other Sleighs cover for Mrs Claus who is expected to share the driving.
This festive announcement comes off the back of new research by Tempcover revealing Brits will travel 1.9 billion miles on the road over the festive period – equal to driving to the moon and back nearly 4,000 times.
Research by Tempcover found that three in ten people will share a car to save money, and one in five drivers (18%) expect to have an argument on their drive home for Christmas.
Marc Pell, Managing Director at temporary vehicle insurance company Tempcover, said: "Even Santa trusts us to keep his sleigh covered – from a last-minute reindeer dash or an icy rooftop landing, we've got him temporarily covered for his annual UK ride.
“Just like Santa, many Brits will also be travelling long distances for Christmas, so it’s positive to see so many people planning to car share on their drive home this Christmas.
"For those hitting the road, whether in your own car or borrowing a mate’s, temporary car insurance is a way to share the driving and lighten the load, so one can take the wheel whilst the other helps to navigate the holiday playlist.”
Ironically Chris Rea’s ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ hit came second in the most listened to songs for a journey – beaten only by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s classic, ‘Fairytale of New York’.