Pet insurance claims hit record number in UK.

The number of UK pet owners claiming on insurance policies has reached a new record, with 911,000 claims being made in 2015.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said the number of claims rose by 9% compared with the previous year.

Among the claims being made was one for a python which needed treatment for anorexia.

A dog needed surgery after swallowing a kebab stick, while another was treated for swallowing a sock.

In total, pet insurers dealt with 686,000 claims for dogs – an 11% increase on 2014 – and 193,000 claims for cats – a 6% rise.

However, most of Britain’s nine million dog owners and 7.9 million cat owners do not pay for insurance cover.