Pitch your tent knowing you're covered

esure urges festival goers to make sure their personal possessions are properly protected

With over 150 Summer music festivals across the country this Summer and with Glastonbury kicking off later this month esure Home Insurance advises all festival-goers to make sure they check their home contents cover before heading off to any outdoor festivities.

With over 175,000 music fans looking to head to Glastonbury, having adequate home contents insurance cover and taking simple steps to protect personal belongings is crucial.

Any items that are lost at a festival - say an iPod falling out of a jacket pocket - would be covered under personal possession cover away from the home, often up to a specified single item limit.

If valuables were left in a tent which did not have a lockable 'door', then any items that were stolen or damaged would most likely not be covered by insurance.

Students in particular need to check whether or not they are covered.

Children living at home may be covered under their parents' policies but students living away at university, college or boarding school may need to arrange their own contents cover as restrictions often apply.

Mike Pickard, Head of Risk and Underwriting at esure Home Insurance, said: "Festivals such as Glastonbury are havens for opportunistic thieves and pick-pockets and the very nature of these types of music events radically increases the likelihood of belongings being accidentally dropped, misplaced or damaged.

As a rule of thumb, try not to pack anything that is of value.

"But for those festival-goers looking to camp at festivals and take items such as mobile phones, digital cameras or MP3 players with them, it's crucial to make sure they're adequately insured and that steps are taken to protect personal belongings at all times.

esure has compiled some practical tips and advice for anyone heading to this year's Glastonbury festival: Valuable items - Try to leave valuable items such as jewellery and expensive iPods and MP3 players at home.

Only take the essentials with you.

Consider using the free 24-hour 'Property Lock-ups' which are prominent around the Glastonbury site and never leave valuables unattended in an unsecured tent.

Mark all of your valuables - such as wallets and mobile phones - so that if they are lost and handed in, then they can be returned easily.

Check that you're adequately insured and are aware of any restrictions or provisos in the policy small print.

Money - Only take enough money for the three day visit to Glastonbury.

There are ATM's on site to withdraw money.

Take a friend with you when you're withdrawing money for security, especially after it gets dark.

Withdraw smaller amounts of money on a regular basis, so that you are not carrying around large sums of cash.

Limit what's in your purse or wallet - only take one bank card and clear it of old receipts and unnecessary loyalty or credit cards in case it is lost or stolen.

Tents - Even though camping fields are patrolled by campsite wardens and security teams, never leave valuables unattended inside your tent.

Make sure you can recognise people in the tents around you, so that you can easily identify anyone suspicious and try to keep an eye on each others' property.

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