Events sunk by insurance hike (From Western Telegraph)

Events sunk by insurance hike

A Pembrokeshire regatta with a 50-year claim-free insurance record has been cancelled because insurers have pulled the plug on its public liability cover.

Little Haven Regatta, a focal point of the tourism industry around this coastal village, was scrapped on Monday after organisers failed in their attempt to secure insurance against accident claims.

It is not the only casualty of the hike in public liability premiums. Multi-million pound claims, fuelled by law firms offering 'no win no fee' legal representation, have forced major changes to Angle Regatta and Pendine Carnival which take place on Saturday.

Angle RNLI, which also has a blemish-free insurance record, has handed over control of its regatta to Pembrokeshire Yacht Club because the £1,400 quoted for insurance cover is more than the event raises.

Pendine Carnival has been scaled down because a haulage company that promised five lorries to transport floats pulled out this week fearing it would be a target for insurance claims.

The future of all these events, central to Pembrokeshire's holiday industry, is in jeopardy.

Terry McClements, chairman of Little Haven Regatta, described it as 'a tragedy'. "War and weather are the only factors to have caused the Little Haven Regatta to be called off in the past. It seems such a tragedy that this popular highlight of the village's summer has been forced off the calendar due to emerging changes in our culture which would never have been even considered in the past.''