Holidaymakers were warned to read the small print of their travel insurance carefully and not assume their policy would cover them for everything.

Consumer magazine Which? Holiday said only half of insurers would pay compensation if the holder missed their flight due to bad traffic, although the majority would pay out if people were delayed by public transport.

Some insurers said they would cover people if their car was directly involved in an accident which led to them missing their flight.

But 96 per cent of policies would pay out if a flight was missed due to a vehicle breaking down, although not all causes of a breakdown were covered, with flat batteries and punctures often excluded, while people may also have to provide evidence their car was well maintained and regularly serviced.