More than a million homes lost power and thousands of trees were uprooted during the storm last November which brought severe winds of almost 100 mph. Tragically three people died when they were hit by falling trees.

On the first anniversary of Storm Arwen, Stuart Torrance, from independent insurance brokers, H&H Insurance Brokers, said staying safe, being alert and getting prepared should be top priorities for people ahead of winter storms.

He said: "Storm Arwen was one of the most powerful and damaging storms of the last decade.

"Ultimately, when a storm hits, the most important thing is to stay safe but you can take precautions ahead of time to reduce the potential damage to your home or business. 

"This can include keeping on top of maintenance such as securing any loose panels or gates, making sure roofs are in good condition, and removing loose or overhanging branches on your property. If there's a storm on its way, then make sure you've secured anything which could potentially be blown away, and park vehicles in a safe space, either in a garage or building, and away from fences, trees and walls which could fall on them."

Storm Arwen, which struck the UK on November 26, 2021, was the busiest day in the history of H&H Insurance Brokers, which specialises in agricultural and rural insurance. The two-day storm led to a total of 130 related claims, with a combined value of more than £1 million. This compares to the firm's usual daily average of four or five new claims.

Stuart, who leads H&H Insurance Brokers' in-house claims team, said: "As a team, we were able to react quickly to this unprecedented event to make sure claims were dealt with quickly and efficiently so our clients' experienced minimal disruption."

Simon Gray, who farms at Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland, suffered extensive damage to his mixed arable and sheep farm as a result of Storm Arwen including the loss of nearly £50,000 worth of machinery and equipment after a shed collapsed and crushed them. A roof on a shed containing fertiliser was also ripped off, along with other damage to the property such as fallen trees.

He said: "It's difficult to quantify the damage caused by Storm Arwen because we are still finding things to fix as a result of it a year later.

"Your insurance is there to protect your business against catastrophic events such as this and having our claim settled through H&H Insurance Brokers by January made a big difference. It meant we could continue operating the business while getting on with most of the repairs and clean up ourselves."

Stuart said his team's job was to make the process of making a claim as easy as possible for clients. He advised anyone who is affected by storm damage to contact their insurance broker as soon as possible.

He said: "Once it's safe to do so, gather together essential information including taking photographs of the damage and making a note of the extent of it. If you have more than one property, then record which premises are affected and where.

"Your insurance broker will have years of experience dealing with extreme weather events and can guide you through the process step-by-step."

H&H Insurance Brokers, which has its head office in Carlisle, operates across the North of England, the Scottish Borders and Wales, and arranges a broad portfolio of business insurance across sectors including farming and agriculture, tourism and hospitality, construction and all types of rural businesses.