From loo looting to runaway wheelie bins: The craziest caravan calamity insurance claims revealed

A thief with a love of loos, a neighbour armed with a blow torch and weather wild enough to take out a motor home are just a few of the odd issues preventing caravan owners from hitting the open road last year.

Specialist insurer, Saga, paid out nearly £500,000 for repairs last year and while most claims were for typical problems such as accidental damage or broken windows, others were anything but run-of-the-mill.

Roger Ramsden, chief executive of Saga Services, said: ‘Last year we were clearing up after Kamikaze pigeons, this year we’ve been fixing damage caused by runaway wheelie bins. 

Caravan calamities: Saga has paid out nearly £500,000 in repairs to fix holidaymakers' motor homes 

'It’s fair to say that owning a caravan and holidaying in one is more adventurous for some than others.’

Here are the craziest issues motor-home owners reported to Saga over the past 12 months. 

Super-strength winds

While complaining about the weather may be the most popular of British pastimes, one Saga customer had more to grumble about than most having been hit by a £2,000 bill.

After a trip to the shops he came home to find his beloved caravan on its side after strong winds managed to tip it over completely.

A thief made off with my loo

One poor unsuspecting owner was told his pride and joy had been broken into while it was tucked away in storage over the winter months.

What he didn’t realise was that he was going to have to claim £500 from Saga to replace the toilet after the looter took a fancy to it. 

Raining golf balls

Raining golf balls: Be prepared whatever the weather throws at you with a decent insurance policy

Again, another instance of weather gone wild, one claim for £5,000 was made after a holidaymaker woke up to hailstones the size of golf balls making dents all over his motor home. 

Bad neighbours

While disputes with next door typically concern overgrown trees or noise complaints, one neighbour is well and truly in the dog house after they managing to cause £2,000 worth of damage to his neighbouring caravan with some overzealous gardening.

He decided to do a spot of weeding with a blow torch, which unsurprisingly set a nearby bush on fire. The heat blistered the neighbouring caravan's paintwork.

Wheelie bins gone wild

Here's a tale of caution for those who leave their motor home on the drive. One diligent owner decided to move his caravan onto his driveway in order to clean it the next day. Sadly the plan backfired as he woke up to £4,000 worth of damage after a runaway wheelie bin crashed into it repeatedly over night. 

Why did the pheasant cross the road?

The final claim, and likely the most unpleasant of the lot, happened to one driver while on their travels.

A pheasant making a run for it across a busy road inflicted £2,000 worth of damage after it bounced off the car and hit the caravan.