Holiday home owners have been reminded of the importance of getting the contents of their property fully insured.

According to Zurich Private Clients, second homes typically contain more than £15,000 of goods, even though they are left unoccupied for most of the year.

The British Insurance Brokers Association has responded to the findings by urging property owners to get an appropriate policy to protect their items.

Graeme Trudgill, spokesperson for the body, commented: “To make any home a home, it’s got to have beds, sofas, a television and things like that and when you actually stop and add it up it will be an awful lot of money.”

He added that property owners may need to take out a specialist policy which caters for properties that are left empty for long periods of time.

According to Zurich, Spain is currently the most popular place in which to own a holiday home, with 26 per cent opting for this location.