Homeowners looking to carry out DIY work on their properties could invalidate their home insurance if they fail to notify their provider, an industry figure has claimed.

Neil Laird, home insurance manager at Sainsbury's Finance, is warning people who plan to undertake improvement work on their houses they must consult their insurance company first.

He states any incident which occurs during or after the DIY jobs may not be covered by the policy and urged consumers to discuss the improvements before going ahead with any plans.

"We want to make sure that homeowners are aware that they could be left underinsured or even invalidate their insurance entirely in the event of an incident during or after works if they have not informed their insurer," Mr Laird said.

Research from Sainsbury's Bank recently found the average amount to be spent on home improvements is around £17,361 per household, with one-fifth of people planning on carrying out some sort of work.

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