Rural insurance firm Cornish Mutual is highlighting the message as part of a public awareness drive being launched this week, to help reduce the number of burglaries in the region and the likelihood of people becoming a victim of crime.

Latest figures from the company, which has Members in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset, show a decrease in the number of theft-related insurance claims handled during 2010 – 44 claims so far this year, compared to 53 claims for the same period in 2009.

The downward trend is mirrored by recent statistics from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) – during the first quarter of 2010, 69,000 domestic theft claims were reported compared to 81,000 claims in the same period of 2009.

Cornish Mutual, which has offices in Exeter and Truro, says many people are often so preoccupied with the prospect of their getaway, they forget to secure their homes properly.

“Whether it’s for a few days or weeks, the same advice always applies,” said Alan Goddard, Managing Director of Cornish Mutual. “It’s always a good idea to make your home appear occupied whenever you’re going away. It sounds obvious, but always check that all your doors and windows are properly secure.”

He added, “The Home Office suggests the average cost of a burglary is over £1,000. We know that most burglaries take place when properties are empty and homes without security measures are ten times more likely to be burgled than those with simple security measures such as quality door locks. We also know that a third of burglars enter premises through an open door or window.”

The summer months are a peak time for garden thefts with easy access, allowing thieves to take advantage of stealing valuable equipment left unattended.

Alan commented, “There are many people who don’t take out a home insurance policy and this can be a serious mistake. It costs a lot of money to replace things that have been stolen or damaged and people who are uninsured will have to find the money out of their own pocket.”

As part of the campaign, Cornish Mutual has now issued ten practical measures to help further cut the number of claims:

1. Set your property’s burglar alarm, if you have one
2. Ask a friend, neighbour or relative to keep an eye on your property while you’re away
3. Get them to open and close curtains, turn lights on and off, collect post and put bins out to give the appearance you’re still there
4. Mark your property, especially valuable items, with your postcode and house number – this could help to trace anything that’s stolen
5. Use automatic timer switches for lights, radios or other appliances in the lounge, bedrooms or upstairs landing as a good deterrent
6. Check garage doors, gates and sheds – these are an easy target for thieves
7. Install outside lighting to switch on during the evening and off in the morning
8. Put anything valuable out of sight like TVs, laptops, DVDs or car keys
9. Don’t forget to cancel newspapers, milk and other deliveries
10. And if you’re taking the car on holiday, get someone else to park their vehicle on your drive, to look as if someone is in.

Related posts:

1. Packed and ready to enjoy your holiday….or are you?
2. Clocks back temptation for thieves
3. Know you’re covered this Christmas

Landlords are responsible for ensuring that their property meets the latest relevant safety standards.

The landlord should make sure onsite inspection and testing is performed where applicable to appliances within a rented property. An up to date formal record of these should be kept.

Gas Safety

 All appliances in a rental property must be checked on an annual basis by an engineer registered with the Gas Safe Register.

• The tenant must be provided with the inspection certificate and records should be made accessible by the landlord at all times.
• If an appliance becomes defective within the rented property it must be replaced immediately.
• Instruction manuals for all gas appliances should be made available to the tenant at all times.

Furniture Fire Safety

The Furniture and Furnishing (fire) (safety) Regulations 1998 set out regulations for fire resistance levels for domestic upholstered furniture and furnishings manufactured after 1950 (carpets and curtains are not included).

These regulations do not include furniture manufactured prior to 1950 or reupholstered furniture manufactured prior to this date.

All new furniture (barring mattresses and bed bases) must carry a permanent label stating accordance with these regulations.

Product Safety Regulations

Landlords are responsible for showing due care and attention to the general safety of their tenants whilst in their property.

Instruction manuals for items used in the property e.g. televisions should be made available to the tenant.

For useful sources of information on the letting of property please visit our Let Property Information page.

Please note that this article is meant only as a guide to some of the pertinent issues related to renting property in the United Kingdom. It is based on Cornish Mutual’s current understanding of the law however anyone acting on the advice contained in this guide is deemed to have satisfied themselves of the correct legal position by having contacted and involved the relevant knowledgeable person or organisation.

Related posts:

1. Guide to Letting Property: Part 6 of 12: Part “P” Building Regulations (Electrical Safety in Dwellings)
2. Guide to Letting Property: Part 3 of 12: Assured Tenancies
3. Guide to Letting Property: Part 1 of 12: The main types of residential property letting

Farmers and landowners in the South West should think about the opportunities being presented with the growth in renewable energies.

Sonya Bedford, Head of Renewable Energy at Stephens Scown, says as fossil fuels get more expensive and renewable energy gets cheaper, people could earn an extra income off their land, “It’s a very sensible thing to do, especially when subsidies are looking more uncertain with 2012 looming.”

The main forms of renewable energy are wind power, hydropower, solar energy, biomass, biofuel and geothermal energy.

She adds; “Renewable energy’s ideally suited to rural areas and if you’re looking to diversify, mitigate climate change and earn an extra income then it may be the way forward. This is a development area that landowners can explore very seriously.”

Once the renewable infrastructure is built, the wind and sun and the earth itself provide fuel that is free, in amounts that are effectively limitless.

Sonya says, “Wind turbines are now a much more common sight than they were and wind power operators are on the look out for more land that’s suitable. Landowners have an opportunity to earn additional income for each turbine they have on their land and can provide landowners with a regular income, generally for no additional labour or expense, usually for a period of 25 years or more.”

The arrival of feed-in tariffs means there is in the next few years an opportunity for profit to be made by generating electricity through photo-voltaic (PV) panels on barns/houses or commercial building roofs – the same can be said for wind turbines.

She adds, “Increased electricity generation also means more farms and estates can be completely self reliant when it comes to their energy needs.”

For more advice, contact Sonya Bedford on 01392 210700 or email s.bedford@stephens-scown.co.uk

Related posts:

1. Guide to Letting Property: Part 5 of 12: Energy Performance Certificates
2. Votes for three new board members
3. New Rates of Agricultural Minimum Wage

It’s always a good idea to make your home appear occupied when you go away, whether it’s for a few days or weeks. There are some simple steps you can take to secure your property and possessions.

Always try and ask a friend, neighbour or relative to keep an eye on your property while you are away. Make sure they know when you’re leaving and when you’re planning on coming back. Perhaps leave them your mobile phone number or the telephone number of where you’re going to be staying. 

Get them to collect post from the doormat, put the bins out, open and close curtains and turn lights on and off to give the appearance you’re still there. Don’t forget to cancel the newspapers and milk if you have them delivered – you don’t want thieves seeing them build up on the doormat.

Automatic timer switches for lights in certain rooms are a good idea – perhaps connect them to the plugs of lamps in the lounge, bedrooms or even upstairs landing. You can also attach timers to radios and other appliances – switches are good for giving the impression that someone is in the property and help to deter burglars.

Put anything that is valuable out of sight like TVs, laptops, DVDs or keys. If you’re taking your car and you have a driveway, ask a friend or neighbour to park on your drive while you’re away.

Always do a last-minute check that you’ve properly secured both doors and windows, using locks on windows if you have them! Also check garage doors, side gates and sheds – these are prime targets for thieves. Most importantly use your burglar alarm, setting the code if you have one.

Phew!, with all these steps taken and all the checks ticked off your list, you should be able to go on holiday safe in the knowledge your home is all nicely secure ready for when you return. Have a great holiday!

Make sure you have the right level of home and contents insurance - Cornish Mutual provides a broad and flexible range of cover.

Related posts:

1. Secure homes against summer break-ins
2. Clocks back temptation for thieves
3. Know you’re covered this Christmas

We had a great day with the children at Topsham School near Exeter and some of the players from the Exeter Chiefs. Tom Johnson, Neil Clark and Mark Foster all came along and helped the youngsters to harvest some of the vegetables they’ve been growing through the initiative. They got stuck in and were really interested in what the school had been doing. It was really nice to see!

We’ve put some of the best photos from the visit on the Dig Down website. In the last month or so, we’ve also been getting some superb pictures from the schools involved in Dig Down, showing what they’ve been up to and some of the cracking fruit and vegetables they’ve managed to grow. Of course, we’re edging ever closer to the school summer holidays so everyone’s been really busy over the last month.

Further west from Exeter and the children at St Meriadoc Primary School in Camborne, Cornwall received a visit from some of the players from the Cornish Pirates this month. On a hot, sunny day Laurie McGlone, Ian Nimmo and Rob Elloway turned up to take a tour of the school vegetable garden and see what’s been grown.

As well as these two particular visits, AFC Bournemouth’s Captain, Steve Fletcher wrote personally to five schools in Dorset to show their support and encouragement for Dig Down South West. They also sent some goody bags to the schools involved, which I think is a really kind and thoughtful gesture.

It’s really encouraging that all these busy sports professionals have taken time out of their busy schedules to visit the schools and see the children first-hand. I always think that whether it’s a rugby or football player, they can act as excellent role models for the youngsters and inevitably the children look up to them.

Quite often they’re influenced by their sporting heroes and so if they can help to impart wise words about healthy eating and exercise it can only be a good thing for the children.

Related posts:

1. Exeter Chiefs back ‘Dig Down South West’
2. Cornish Pirates back ‘Dig Down South West’
3. AFC Bournemouth backs ‘Dig Down’ project

Rural insurer Cornish Mutual, which serves Members across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset, is highlighting the potentially lethal consequences in a bid to drive down farm deaths and injuries.

Over the last ten years the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports that children have been killed or seriously injured on farms as a direct result of falling from vehicles, contact with machinery or animals, drowning and asphyxiation, poisoning and serious burns.

Alan Goddard, Managing Director for Cornish Mutual, said: “Farms can be very attractive places for youngsters to play during the summer holidays. While farm yards, buildings and stores can be exciting and interesting for children to explore, they can be full of hazards. We want parents and families in the region to teach their children to be wary of the dangers on farms and make sure they’re supervised by a responsible adult at all times.”

He added: “Quad bikes, tractors and other vehicles should also be kept out of the way. We understand that farms are homes as well as workplaces and that you can’t eliminate all the dangers, but it’s about taking sensible precautions to reduce the risks wherever you can.”

The push on awareness comes as the Health and Safety Executive recently released figures showing a rise in agriculture related deaths – during 2009/10 there were 38 fatal injuries with a rate of 8.2 deaths per 100,000 workers.

Farm workers, visitors and walkers are also being targeted by Cornish Mutual as part of its campaign. Agriculture has one of the highest fatal accident rates of all industries in the South West.

Graeme Walker, the Health and Safety Executive’s Head of Agriculture, said: “38 workers were killed on British farms last year – proving once again that agriculture is the most dangerous way of making a living in Great Britain. Farming and agricultural work has a poor safety record compared with other industries – we cannot let this trend continue.”

Cornish Mutual is urging farmers to check that they have the right insurance cover in place should the worst happen. Farmers and landowners can be held legally accountable for injuries which happen as a result of their activities. The company provides a range of insurance products to indemnify farmers and land owners against these legal liabilities.

The Agricultural Wages Act means farmers are legally required to pay most full-time employees whilst they are off work due to injury. Insurance policies can help to offset the income lost as a result of an accident, and may be used to pay overtime to employees or hire temporary or replacement labour depending on the needs of the farmer.

Related posts:

1. Farm dangers for children this summer
2. South West farmers risk livelihoods
3. Confusion over Child Work Permits

Chellie Elkington will be based in Dorset to provide expert help and advice on all insurance matters for Members across the county.

Chellie has been employed by the company for more than 18 months and has previously worked for the firm in South Devon.  She has worked in the insurance sector for more than 15 years, beginning her career with a small insurance company in Devon.

Cornish Mutual provides insurance products to the rural communities of the South West (Dorset, Somerset, Cornwall and Devon) principally focusing on farming, small commercial and home insurance for both individuals and businesses.

Alan Goddard, Managing Director for Cornish Mutual, said: “Dorset is certainly a growth area for Cornish Mutual and one of our key objectives is to become the rural community insurance provider of choice.  Chellie’s appointment in Dorset reinforces our commitment to offering all our Members and potential Members a first-class service.  Chellie, will no doubt, help us to build our presence in Dorset and develop relationships we already have, as well as create new ones.”

Chellie, who lives in Lydlinch, added: “I’m delighted to be based in Dorset and working for a company whose roots are very much in the rural community.  Everything Cornish Mutual does is for the benefit of its Members and I’m very much looking forward to working in Dorset and providing the personal, local service we offer – something which appeals to many people.”

Cornish Mutual is one of the oldest insurers of its kind in the UK, having been founded over 105 years ago. As a mutual organisation, it only works for its Members to make sure that profits are reinvested to ensure a fair claims process and higher levels of service. The firm employs over 65 members of staff and provides insurance products for people and businesses across the region.

Related posts:

1. New recruit for South Devon team
2. New Inspectors in Devon for rural insurer
3. Insurer hosts Forum at County Show

Laurie McGlone, Ian Nimmo and Rob Elloway from the Pirates took a rare pre-season day off to help children at St Meriadoc Junior School in Camborne to harvest some of the vegetables they have been growing and help to tend their gardens. The players were also on-hand to give their own advice about the benefits of eating healthily and exercising.

St Meriadoc Junior School was among eighteen primary schools in Cornwall to receive their own vegetable garden from the ‘Dig Down South West’ campaign, supported by regional insurance firm Cornish Mutual, which is based in Truro. The initiative www.digdownsouthwest.co.uk was launched earlier this year by well-known TV gardening expert Charlie Dimmock.

Ian Davies, Forwards Coach with the Cornish Pirates commented: “Teaching kids at an early age about healthy eating and a balanced diet, including fruit and vegetables, is really important. As professional rugby players, it’s great for them to be able to pass on their experience of staying fit and on top of their game through initiatives like ‘Dig Down South West’. I hope that through today’s visit to the school we can make a small difference to the children’s enthusiasm for growing their own produce.”

Alan Goddard, Managing Director of Cornish Mutual, said: “It’s great to have the support of the Cornish Pirates for ‘Dig Down South West’. The team can act as excellent role models for the youngsters involved – inevitably children look up to sports stars and are often influenced by them. We hope that through campaigns like this we can help to build their knowledge for the future.”

50 vegetable gardens have been created in schools across the region, as a key part of ‘Dig Down South West’. The objective of the project is to help primary school children, between the ages of five and eight, take an active interest in gardening and learn about the benefits of growing their own produce.

The children at St Meriadoc Junior School planted their organic vegetables in the existing flowerbeds of their school courtyard, in many pots and containers, as well as in some newly created raised beds out on the school field.

Jason Richards, a teacher at St Meriadoc Junior School, added: “This initiative from Dig Down South West has really enabled our children to be enthused about growing their own fruit and vegetables. We are just starting to enjoy the spoils of our labour and we can’t wait to see how much further our produce will flourish before the end of the school year!”

For more information about ‘Dig Down South West’, advice on growing produce and interactive puzzles and games for children, visit www.digdownsouthwest.co.uk

Related posts:

1. Chiefs, Pirates and Cherries support Dig Down South West….
2. Exeter Chiefs back ‘Dig Down South West’
3. 50 South West schools ready for ‘Dig Down’

The Cherries, based at Deans Court in Kings Park, are backing the initiative which has helped create 50 vegetable gardens in primary schools across the region. Five schools in Poole, Wimborne, Moordown and Kinson are all involved in the project, supported by regional insurance firm Cornish Mutual. Well-known TV gardening expert Charlie Dimmock launched ‘Dig Down South West’ (www.digdownsouthwest.co.uk) in February.

AFC Bournemouth Captain, Steve Fletcher is writing to all five schools to show the club’s support and encouragement for the campaign. The team is also donating goody bags to the schools involved. They include Longspee Special School and Lytchett Matravers Primary School in Poole, Hayeswood First School in Wimborne and Kinson Primary and St Walburga’s Catholic Primary in Bournemouth.

Steve Fletcher commented: “It’s so important for children to understand that growing and eating fresh fruit and vegetables is the key to a healthier lifestyle – that’s something, as professional football players, we understand well and really support through this campaign. It’s great to get involved and give our backing to ‘Dig Down South West.”

50 vegetable gardens have been created in schools across the region, as a key part of ‘Dig Down South West’. The objective of the project is to help primary school children, between the ages of five and eight, to take an active interest in gardening and learn about the benefits of growing their own produce.

Alan Goddard, Managing Director for Cornish Mutual, added: “We’re absolutely delighted to have the support of AFC Bournemouth for ‘Dig Down South West’. The players are excellent role models for the children to learn from and find out how they can eat more healthily by getting involved in campaigns like this. We hope this will help to build their knowledge and nurture their enthusiasm for the future.”

For more information about ‘Dig Down South West’, advice on growing produce and interactive puzzles and games for children, visit www.digdownsouthwest.co.uk.

Related posts:

1. Chiefs, Pirates and Cherries support Dig Down South West….
2. Exeter Chiefs back ‘Dig Down South West’
3. 50 South West schools ready for ‘Dig Down’

From 1 January 2005 work on electrical installations in certain areas of a property must be carried out by someone currently registered with an approved Part P self-certification scheme.

Failure to comply with regulations can result in a maximum fine of £5,000 and or imprisonment.

• Part P Building regulations refer to fixed electrical installations.
• All electrical work involving a new circuit being installed must be carried out by a “competent person” or notified to building control, which will then inspect the circuit for safety.
• Small jobs such as replacing plug sockets do not need to be reported to building control.  It is however recommended that these are checked by a “competent person” in order to ensure safety.
• All electrical installations within a dwelling including small jobs must follow the principles of BS 7671, the British Standard for electrical installations.

A “competent person” is deemed as someone registered with a Part P self-certification scheme.

Electrical Regulations

• The landlord must ensure that the electrical supply to the property, electrical equipment and appliances are safe.
• All new appliances to be used within the property must carry the ‘CE’ mark certifying them as safe.
• Instruction manuals or clear instructions for all electrical items should be provided to the tenant to ensure safe usage.
• Newly installed plugs and sockets must comply with the appropriate British Standard.

For useful sources of information on the letting of property please visit our Let Property Information page.

Please note that this article is meant only as a guide to some of the pertinent issues related to renting property in the United Kingdom. It is based on Cornish Mutual’s current understanding of the law however anyone acting on the advice contained in this guide is deemed to have satisfied themselves of the correct legal position by having contacted and involved the relevant knowledgeable person or organisation.

Related posts:

1. Guide to letting property: Part 7 of 12: Safety regulations for your let property
2. Guide to Letting Property: Part 5 of 12: Energy Performance Certificates
3. Guide to Letting Property: Part 1 of 12: The main types of residential property letting