PwC comments on insurance impacts of UK riots

"The key issue is how quickly insurers can deal with claims as many small businesses may not have the cashflow to survive without quick payments and more will not have business interruption insurance. The UK property and casualty insurance industry has learned lessons from previous events, such as floods, and now recognises it can demonstrate value and earn customer loyalty by processing claims quickly and efficiently.

Check carefully

"Customers may have to check the wording of their policies carefully. Generally events like riots are included within the terms of insurance but there may be exceptions to this.

"Riots and looting are clearly very difficult to plan for but this situation does highlight that businesses must factor regular assessment of their insurance cover into their risk-management processes. Another important part of this process is monitoring changing risks and disclosing risk information to insurers to ensure there are no potentially costly gaps in their cover arrangements. Organisations can safeguard themselves by providing quality and in-depth information to their insurers, which will supply reliable and appropriate cover in return."