The harsh winter weather caused problems for homeowners, with a surge of insurance claims for frozen and burst pipes.Home insurers have reported that escape of water was the most common claim throughout the winter months.Pipes leading to kitchen sinks and bathrooms struggled in minus temperatures, with burst pipes damaging home furnishings as well as kitchen fixtures such as kitchen taps.The British Insurance Brokers Association (Biba), which represents 1,700 providers, says ice and snow led to a boost in household claims.Graeme Trudgill, head of corporate affairs at Biba, said Over the last two or three months weve had lots of very cold weather and were still having it up north.There have been lots of claims due to this very hard winter that weve had.Cold-weather claims are the leading concern for home insurers at the moment, he added.Home emergency repair service HomeServe reported a 30 per cent increase in the number of jobs completed in December 2010, in comparison with 2009.