Unless you ask the specific question, then your insurer is correct. It's your duty not theirs to make sure the cover you have is what you require. Never presume anything with insurers, they will take any opportunity afforded not pay. You need to make sure they cannot do this prior to any incident. This situation is of your own doing because your presumed rather than checked. Going out on Tuesday in rush hour, over a border to Leicestershire, is hardly like going to a different continent. Did you read your policy thoroughly prior to going abroad? There might be ways around this to make the insurer pay - but I would have read the full policy and listen to all the recorded phone calls from when you took the policy out, to when the claim was made.