Teenage Bricklayer quoted with £40,000 to insure a £9,000 secondhand van

Gary Shipp, 18, from Oldham, was determined to go into business for himself, but the enterprising tradesman cannot afford a van because of the whopping insurance premiums.

He has been quoted between £20,000 and £40,000  insure a £9,000 second-hand van even though he has a clean driving record and has never been involved in any accidents.

Gary, who started laying bricks from the age of 11, launched his business, Stonebrook Builders, a month ago.

Despite the stumbling block, he is working around the problem by using his own car, a Vauxhall Astra, to bring equipment to and from jobs.

He also hires larger items like cement mixers and drills, paying for them to be transported to building sites.

When he looked at the cost of insuring a Nissan Navara truck worth around £9,000, he was quoted a whopping £40,323 by the RAC.

Gary has never been involved in an accident and has no points on his driving licence.

He said: ‘People under 25 are having to pay extortionate prices. It’s a rip-off. It’s like the pause button has been hit. It’s depressing as well as the same time. I can’t afford 20 grand to insure a van.’

[Culled from UK Daily]