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Dogged Devotion.
“Many people see their dog as one of the family, which explains why 82 per cent of the dog owners who held a funeral said a proper service to mark their passing is the least they deserve after a lifetime of devotion. A dedicated one per cent of all dog owners would have their faithful companion stuffed. But giving a pet a proper send off does not come cheaply. Twenty-nine per cent would have their dog cremated and its ashes scattered somewhere special and one in 10 (nine per cent) would commission a work of art. Read more...

Speed cameras
Direct Line research reveals that despite 93 per cent of motorists claiming they have a sound knowledge of speed limits, in reality only half of all UK motorists are unable to correctly identify the limit on a dual carriageway (70mph). Emma Holyer, Direct Line’s Motor spokesperson, said:. “Speed cameras exist because speeding is one of the biggest dangers on UK roads with one in three road deaths attributed to it so motorists do need to keep their speed down and be aware of the limits. In addition to knowingly flouting the law, many motorists have no idea what the speed limits actually are. Read more..

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Wasting Money



Wasting money

Wasting money on home improvements 15/06/2006


Britain’s homeowners have spent more than £154 billion on tasteless home improvements that will actually reduce the value of their properties, according to new research from Direct Line Home Insurance.


More than 20 million Brits** (49 per cent) have carried out, or plan to make alterations that property experts say are likely to erode the value of their homes. The most costly changes include laying cheap wooden flooring (33 per cent of these), installing PVC windows (32 per cent) and removing fireplaces (20 per cent), according to a list of ‘design crimes’ compiled by Direct Line Home Insurance in collaboration with surveyors Habitus. 


According to the research, these alterations can reduce the value of a property by up to five per cent, knocking £9,637 off the average house price***.

Dog owners vet bill.
These fees have forced dog owners to take drastic action leaving seven per cent with no option but to put down their sick dog according to new research from Direct Line. Many owners are risking their long-term financial security to avoid putting their dog down. The legislation could mean that vets will have to record the date, product, quantity, manufacturer's batch number, expiry date and client details of all drugs that they dispense. Twenty two per cent of dog owners said that they would consider this drastic step if faced with treatment that they couldn't afford. Read more...
Despite this, nearly half (48 per cent) of those making changes mistakenly think that they will add value, with one in ten (11 per cent) estimating that they will net more than £10,000 as a result.


The list of design faux pas doesn’t end with home alterations. The 1.8 million homeowners digging fishponds in their gardens could suffer an average of £3,854 each in lost value and concreted over front gardens may set the owners back by a similar amount, according to Habitus.  


Many of these costly home improvements are inspired by home makeover shows, with one in twenty (6 per cent) saying that TV shows motivate them to make these changes. A desire to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ is also in evidence, with a similar number (7 per cent) saying that they copied alterations that their friends or relatives had made.


The homeowners themselves may not be the only ones paying the price for bad taste. Nearly a million**** Brits reckon that neighbours’ tasteless alterations have reduced the value of their own homes.