Bouncing, splashing and swinging our way to danger

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One in ten UK households has bought a garden trampoline and one in 50 a hot tub since 2005 according to a new poll by esure home insurance1. The company is warning that the surge in ill thought-out garden fads is leaving families a bounce, splash or swing away from domestic damage - or worse - if they don’t take proper precautions.

The poll's findings help to explain Government statistics2 showing that annual consumer spending on ‘major durables for outdoor recreation’ has risen by £1bn to £6.7bn since 2005 on a tide of hot tubs, garden trampolines and adventure play sets during a period when annual spending on major household appliances has fallen by over £250m.

Alarmingly, 14 per cent of those questioned in the 'Bounce, Splash, Swing... Crash' poll by Opinium who had recently bought a trampoline, hot tub or swingset said it had caused an accident/injury, damage to property or both3.

Leaks, cracked patios, broken windows and damaged brickwork can all result from problems associated with poor placement or construction of such items but family head clashes, broken bones on trampolines, lacerations from broken wine glasses in hot tubs and facial injuries from unseen flying swing seats usually fall outside the limits of home insurance policies.

Nikki Sellers, Head of home insurance at esure, said: "For some families, the idea of a hot tub, adventure playset or trampoline might sound like heaven but there are many cases where it ends up more like hell.

We have seen cases where badly-fitted hot tubs have leaked and trampolines have cracked expensive patios causing thousands of pounds of damage but parents also need to manage the risks that big outdoor purchases present to their own children."

She added: "Reading the safety guidelines and educating kids about safe play on trampolines, swings and adventure sets should be a top priority so that an apparently great idea doesn’t end in tears."

In a 2006 study for the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery3, researchers found that accidents related to the recreational use of trampolines are a significant cause of childhood injury with 35 per cent of cases examined in the study being injured while more than one child was on the trampoline and 70 per cent of cases involved fractured upper limbs.

esure's home insurance offers the chance to protect both buildings and contents against accidental damage, however family members cannot claim for injuries caused by each other - such as an accident between two children on a trampoline together or caused by a wooden seat abandoned mid-swing.

Safety considerations when shopping around for major outdoor recreational toys can help to prevent problems later. Trampolines often have an option for side netting to prevent falls onto the ground and swing seats are now available in flexible rubber to prevent facial injuries.

- ends -

esure's press contacts:

Adrian Webb: Head of Corporate Communications, esure: 01737 641000
Asia Yasir: Public Relations Officer, esure: 01737 641305
Email: PR@esure.com
An ISDN line is available for radio interviews

Notes to Editors:

  1. Market research poll 'Bounce, Splash, Swing... Crash" carried out by Opinium. Fieldwork 28th May to 1st June 2010 via 1,992 Interviews (UK Nat Rep) including 1,177 Homeowners. Key findings:

    Among homeowners, since January 2005:
    • 10% have purchased a garden trampoline.
    • 7% have purchased a garden swing or adventure play set.
    • 2% have purchased a hot tub.

      Among respondents who have purchased these garden items, when asked about any injury, accident or damage to property.
    • 8% say an injury or accident has occurred. [The proportion of reported injuries/ accidents is higher among males (14%) than females (3%).
    • 4% say use of these items has resulted in damage to property. [Again, more males (7%) than females (2%) report damage.
    • And 2% say both an accident or injury and damage to property have occurred due to use of these items.
  3. Source: ONS consumer spending survey Consumer Trends Q4 2009 - page 53 table 0.5cn and page 88 table 0.9CN - Office for National Statistics: Notice Consumer Trends, Q4 2009.
  4. Source: Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery: Trampoline injuries in children