Business premises threatened by arson attacks

Date: 9th September 2009

Arson remains a major problem for UK businesses, insurance figures have shown.

Aviva said that deliberate fires were found to have contributed greatly to a general rise in claims and are now thought to represent around 40% of total cases.

Data from the Association of British Insurers has shown that overall numbers of fire claims have increased by 20% between January-June 2007 and the first six months of 2009.

The problem of fires in vacant properties was also highlighted by Aviva, with around 9,000 incidents thought to take place each year.

Allister Smith, property risk manager for the insurance firm, said: "We have seen devastating fire damage due to unsecured bins being pushed against buildings and the contents ignited, causing fire to spread."

He added that "preventing or reacting to" minor fire incidents can help people avoid "major loss incidents".

The report also pointed out that the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005 recommends that all UK employers have a legal responsibility to conform with safety procedures.

Specifically, business owners are asked to have a safety strategy aimed at preventing outbreaks.