Teenagers have collectively caused £14 million worth of damage to their parents’ homes by throwing parties that have got out of hand, a survey suggested.

Around 17 per cent of parents have had to make a claim on their home insurance policy for accidents and damage caused by a teenager’s party, with the average claim being £117.

The most common problems caused by teenage parties are general rubbish and mess, followed by broken furniture, trampled gardens and plants, stains on the carpets and burns on sofas and chairs, according to Allianz Insurance.

Parents worry that teenage parties are more likely to get out of control now compared with when they were young, with 65 per cent saying they think it is dangerous for teenagers to advertise their parties on social networking sites such as Facebook and Bebo, something 11 per cent of teenagers have done.

A third of parents claim they have even monitored their child’s activities on these sites to try to spot if they are planning a party.

Around 36 per cent of parents said they would inform another teenager’s parents if they were planning to hold a party at their home and they thought they did not know, while 29 per cent would call the police if a party was getting out of hand on their street.

But only 31 per cent would stop their son or daughter going to a party at a friend’s house if they thought the friend’s parents did not know about it.

Gareth McChesney, head of home and motor portfolio management at Allianz UK, said: “Parents face tough decisions when allowing their children to host a party and it is natural to worry about the celebrations getting out of hand.

“However, if things do go wrong, it is important to have financial protection in place to pick up any bills for damage caused.”