Weather-related damage claims reached pound573 million ($716 million), up 36 percent on 2022, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

"This massive rise was largely fuelled by the succession of storms, including Babet, Ciaran and Debi that struck last autumn," ABI added.

Claims by homeowners for storm damage totalled pound133 million, while flooding added pound286 million.

A further pound153 million of weather claims came from burst pipes.

Businesses incurred pound443 million in weather damage claims last year, while fire remained "the primary peril to businesses", with claims for such damage reaching pound880 million.

Reinsurance giant Swiss Re last month warned that insured property losses could double worldwide in the coming decade owing to climate change and more frequent and intense severe weather events.

The Zurich-based group -- which acts as an insurer for insurers -- also highlighted the rising costs from hailstorms.

Natural disasters caused $280 billion in damage worldwide in 2023, including $108 billion covered by insurance companies, Swiss Re said in its annual overview of the cost of disasters and natural catastrophes.

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SWISS RE AG