The cost of insurance has skyrocketed in recent months with prices multiplying faster than a randy rabbit. I thought the house insurance was bad, until I saw the cost of covering my car for another year. And then, adding serious insult to absurd injury, I got a quote through for 12 months of travel insurance.

In each case I did, of course, plead my case but, as always they cocked a deaf ‘un, claiming everything was completely out of their control, global warming creating biblical-style floods, Covid still spreading like wildfire? And, you’re also paying for everyone who chooses to live on a flood plain or the edge of a cliff.

But what can you do? In the end we’re all hostages to these money-grabbers and explaining none of your policy details have changed from last year and you haven’t made a claim for 20 years won’t make a jot of difference. So, you suck it up, pay through the nose and hope that if you ever do need to claim they won’t find a way of wriggling out of settling.

But, despite saying this, there are still times when I find myself sympathising with insurers.

Some years ago, in another life, I wrote stories about Biggin Hill and was always amazed by whinging residents complaining about the noise of planes. This despite the fact the airport had been operational for half a century and they’d only moved in to live cheek-by-jowl a few years ago. What did they expect moving next to an airport?

But, even worse than these nimby noise haters are the airheads who choose to live on a cliff top for sea views and then expect the rest of us to prop them up financially when their pride and joy begins to shift and slip towards the waves.

We are all now fully aware climate change is both real, and here to stay, so if you choose to live on a flood plain or millimetres from the edge of a rock face then, surprise, you can expect your property to be at threat.

As I say, in such cases, I find myself in the rare position of agreeing with the insurance brokers when they point blank refuse to insure such properties. But even failing to secure insurance doesn’t put some people off and we regularly hear tales of woe from cliff edge homeowners who feel they have some right to have their properties shored up at everyone else’s expense.

I guarantee if you keep an eye on the news, before this month is out, there will be another ‘homeowner with a view’ moaning their property is at risk from cliff erosion and expecting someone else to fork out and save their house.