Zurich Municipal has published the first indication of the cost of compensation to public services.
Zurich said that through public liability compensation claims, which include injury and material damage, it is estimated that local government and insurance companies pay out between £200m and £250m a year.
The company said this amount included pay-outs to genuine claimants and fraudulent claims that slip through the net, but not the cost of investigating claims.
Zurich Municipal claims director, Iwan Borszcz, said: “Whether a claim is exaggerated or completely fraudulent, it is the genuine claimant that suffers.
"Zurich Municipal has been working on behalf of customers to ensure genuine claimants receive the service they deserve, but considerable time is often wasted dealing with what turn out to be spurious, and even imaginative, claims."
