Ecclesiastical Insurance is urging property owners to take precautionary steps as the risk of subsidence and wildfires increases following an extended dry spell.
The specialist insurer has issued the warning after the driest start to the year in England since 1976 – a stark contrast to Spring 2024, which was the wettest in 38 years.
Parts of England, including Cumbria, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, and the Midlands, are already experiencing drought conditions, with additional “hosepipe bans” being brought in by water companies Thames Water, Southern Water, and South East Water in other parts of the country that are experiencing prolonged dry weather.
While recent rainfall has been welcomed, the Environment Agency has warned there continues to be a risk of widespread drought conditions by September, with reservoir levels in England and Scotland below their usual levels for this time of year.
The UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) has stated that almost all of the UK is expected to have below normal or low river levels, while its data also shows soil as being much drier in large parts of the country, particularly in the East and South of England.
The last drought occurred in the summer of 2022, when water companies introduced hosepipe bans, affecting 19 million people following a six-month dry period.
As a result of those drought conditions, Ecclesiastical Insurance saw a 54% increase in claims for subsidence between 2021 and 2022 – the highest since 2018.
In November 2024, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reported that subsidence payouts for home insurance claims in Q3 hit £66 million, rising 11% on the £59 million paid in Q2 2024, and 61% on the same period in 2023.
Subsidence is where the ground beneath a building sinks, pulling the property’s foundations down with it and causing issues such as cracking on the inside and outside of a property.
It usually occurs when the ground loses moisture and shrinks due to prolonged dry spells. This is a particular issue in the UK, where large parts of the geological make-up of the country is clay, which is prone to shrinkage as moisture is removed.
Trees and shrubs can make the issue more severe as they remove moisture from the soil, as can leaks, sinkholes, and industrial processes such as mining, causing the ground beneath properties to fall away.
While it isn’t possible to prevent all cases of subsidence, some steps can be taken by property owners to protect themselves, including:
Where a customer suspects they have a subsidence issue, it’s important they contact their insurer for advice and to arrange investigations to determine the cause and any suitable remedial action, including arranging for independent engineers and loss adjusters to investigate the damage.
Dry soil can have a serious impact on farming, but dried-out vegetation can also bring with it a higher risk of wildfires.
The risk of wildfires isn’t new to the UK; however, the devastating fires in Los Angeles in January this year have shown the significant impact fires can have on properties and the environment.
In April, more than 18,000 hectares (180 sq km) were burnt by wildfires in the UK, the highest weekly figure on record, with more than 80 fires affecting areas of 30 hectares (0.3sq km) since the start of 2025.
Fire services across the UK issued warnings to communities, urging them to leave disposable barbecues at home and to avoid setting up campfires in open areas where the risk of a fire starting and spreading is highest.
Although Ecclesiastical hasn’t seen a significant number of wildfire claims, St Mary and St Peter’s Church in Wennington in Greater London suffered smoke damage when fires engulfed the surrounding land in 2022, leaving the structure of the church untouched.
As climate change continues to create more volatile weather patterns, Ecclesiastical’s claims team is prepared to support customers.
Working closely with its extensive network of suppliers, the specialist insurer has put preparations in place to deal with any potential surge in demand.
Jeremy Trott, Claims Director at Ecclesiastical Insurance, said: “Last Spring we saw some of the wettest conditions on record, with an increased risk of flooding, and this year we’ve gone in the complete opposite direction to one of the driest.
“It’s impossible to ignore the impact of a changing climate, which will likely bring more volatile weather conditions, including droughts, in the coming years.
“Going by our data from years, as a result, we expect the volume of subsidence claims to rise over time as weather conditions get warmer. If you suspect you have a subsidence issue, it’s important you contact your insurer for advice and to investigate the cracks to determine the cause and suitable action.”