If yours does not have the policy available, you have to look elsewhere. Insuring a basic street party costs £105 under the Zurich Municipal scheme. If you plan to have a bonfire or fireworks, the premium is £157 Making your own arrangements can be cheaper. Courtney insurance brokers runs a basic contract for £52, though it will not cover parties where marquees are involved, but neither does the Zurich plan.

The other big exclusion covers bouncy castles, a staple for children at street parties.”Claims on these have shot up in the past couple of years, so rates for including them have risen sharply too,” Trevor Macey, a group director says. “Some companies have withdrawn from the market, and if you want to include cover for a bouncy castle, it may cost you £260 or so. If you do not have cover, you need to be very wary.”The classic problem is when you have a couple of young children on the castle and two or three teenagers join them, sometimes a bit drunk People can get badly hurt as the castle collapses. But those no fault, no fee lawyers are partly to blame for encouraging claims.”Insuring for fireworks can be expensive.

Rates have almost doubled since last year, the Courtney group says, and may cost £250 for a street party. Many insurers have moved out of the liability business following 11 September, and those remaining have hiked charges dramatically. The best plan is to opt for the Zurich Municipal policy, if your local authority has it on offer, or to see what companies like Norwich Union will charge. They claim to assess each risk individually.People usually lend tables and chairs, and no one is going to worry if a trestle or kitchen chairs get damaged But you need to beware of anything more valuable. Liability insurance certainly will not cover it, and nor will your own household policy, unless you have an all-risks extension. How are you placed if you run your own party in the back garden, and invite local children? Overall, you are much safer, though it is worth mentioning plans for the party to insurers in case they are awkward. Every household policy will include liability for £1m to £2m, certainly enough to cover a firework display,Standard household policies should cover theft, if some light-fingered child helps himself to a valuable item such as original Dinky toys or old train sets.