A recent report by the AA showed insurance claims have gone up 36% over four days last week.

Since Friday 18 January when the country was first carpeted with snow, the AA claims team has dealt with over 700 claims from customers of which over 300 are directly attributable to slips and slides – 42% of the total.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, said that in most cases, snowy collisions don’t cause injury but can end up with costly claims: “Parked cars come off badly, unfortunately, some of our claimants returned to their cars to find them dented but no note from whoever caused the damage.”

Some drivers who have had to abandon their cars due to the adverse conditions often came back to find that their cars were broken in to, while some even had their tyres stolen.

Douglas commented: “That’s a depressing side of human nature; fortunately, most drivers will say that when they have got into trouble others have been very willing to help.”

The AA produced an claims league table shows some of the stories behind losing control on the ice:

1. Parked cars came off worst, accounting for just over 10% of the claims. In fact, some made the most of it, with one customer admitting that as he slid down a street on ice he ‘bounced off a dozen parked cars’. That would count as just one claim so far as his record is concerned, but will be a lot of work for the insurer to sort out.

2. Coming in at second place are tail-end shunts with 6.3% of the tally. There’s nothing more alarming than coming to the end of a queue and realising the inevitable is going to happen as the wheels lock, the car gently gliding into the vehicle in front. One unfortunate customer did just that and as she exchanged details with the other driver, another car slid into hers. And then two more did just the same…

3. Hitting kerbs, which are often hidden from view under snow, proved the third most common claim with 6% suffering the sickening tell-tale crunch as car hits concrete

4. A close fourth in the league of misfortune, with just under 6% of claims, are cars that slid into street furniture. There must be a fair number of broken road signs, lamp-posts, bollards and even park benches littering Britain’s towns after attack from out-of-control motors! One customer managed to fell a lamp-post which collapsed on to a passing car but fortunately none were hurt. Oddly, the lamp stayed on! Another driver slid through the cones and into a roadworks trench.

5. (Joint 5th) Next are collisions with vehicles coming towards each other, claiming 3% of the total. Also at 3% were junction manoeuvres that went wrong and a similar number of cars knocking down walls. One of those walls was that of a house on a village bend, no doubt giving a shock to the occupants just settling down for an evening’s TV.

6. At number six are accidents at home with garages, gate posts, partners’ and neighbours’ cars all suffering the indignity of a failed attempt to exit the drive or stop when returning home. One unfortunate driver put his car in the garage – not intentionally as he went through the up-and-over door without opening it first thanks to ice on the drive.