Dentures flushed down a toilet, a hearing aid eaten by a dog and curtains set on fire after a lighter was used to burn away a loose thread are just some of the more unusual claims that rural insurance firm Cornish Mutual has dealt with in recent years.

The company, which provides insurance cover for more than 24,000 Members across the Westcountry, has revealed a list of the ten most unusual claims it has handled over the past few years.

As well as being asked to insure a strange selection of items which have included a village phone box and a family of camels, Cornish Mutual has also handled some uncommon claims for accidental damage to property and personal items.

The insurer’s ten most unusual claims are:

10. Repeated repairs to a Land Rover after a rat continued to methodically eat away the wiring loom before the rodent was eventually caught.

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9. A vehicle damaged when it crashed into a parked car – despite this being the only other object in an otherwise empty nine acre field.

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8. Damage caused to a car after the vehicle rolled off the edge of a car park and landed with the front of the car balanced on a wheelie bin.

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7. A kitchen destroyed when a Member accidentally discharged a firearm which blew in the windows and caused significant damage to the units – just after his wife had left the room.

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6. Carpet damage to a holiday let property after a Member upturned a pot of paint and managed to walk it through the house leaving white paint footprints everywhere.

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5. A set of dentures accidentally lost down a toilet while a Member was sick.

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4. A hearing aid eaten by a dog after it got mixed up with dog biscuits kept in the owner’s pocket.

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3. A farmhand who had three vehicle accidents in the same day – including one which occurred on his motor bike while driving back from a previous incident.

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2. A VW Golf car completely destroyed when a Member accidentally discharged his firearm inside the vehicle.

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1. Substantial fire damage to a property after a Member noticed a loose thread hanging from a curtain and decided to use his lighter to burn it away rather than finding a pair of scissors.

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Alan Goddard, managing director of Cornish Mutual, added: “Over the years we have certainly had some unusual claims, but we are here to serve and help our members, so it’s all in a day’s work. But these curious examples do serve as a reminder that it is essential to ensure you have the right type of insurance cover in place, and that you are adequately insured to the right level in case you do need to make a claim.

“We are exceptionally proud at Cornish Mutual to provide an incredibly straightforward claims service which makes it as easy as possible for our Members to make a claim when they need to. These examples were handled just as competently, and resolved just as quickly, as the numerous claims our Member Services team deals with every day.”