pigeon

Over 200 years, any insurance company is bound to have a few bizarre claims to investigate. We dug into the archives and found some extraordinary claims.

These were my favourites – and clients love these stories of the more colourful side of insurance, too.

A racing pigeon had to be retired after being involved in a road accident, leading to a payout of £250 – for emotional distress! The poor bird just wasn’t itself after the truck carrying it ran into an estate car from behind, and never raced again…

One policyholder severed his own toes and then claimed they’d been crushed in an accident – needless to say we didn’t pay his claim (and nor did the 5 other insurers involved!). It turned out he’d also lopped off 3 fingers in an earlier attempt at fraud…

Board members at a building society’s new head office were mystified by rattling teacups in the top-floor boardroom. It turned out that the building’s deep steel foundations were vibrating like tuning forks as trains from a local quarry passed nearby…

Test your knowledge

English law dictates that a pigeon fancier must wear a flat cap. True or false?

If you think you know the answer comment below.