Rural insurer NFU Mutual claims many households will be underinsured due to rising gold prices.

The insurer is urging homeowners to get their jewellery professionally valued as soaring gold prices have more than doubled the street value of some family keepsakes in recent years.

The average value of gold in homes across Britain is thought to be more than £1,100. This means many owners are likely to be underinsured and potentially unable to replace their most treasured possessions should they be misplaced or stolen.

Paul Richardson, home insurance specialist at NFU Mutual, said: “If the contents of some jewellery boxes needed to be replaced