Insurers facing flood clean-up bill
Insurance companies are bracing themselves for an estimated bill of as much as £100 million after rain and flooding battered Cumbria and parts of Scotland.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said members had already received between 500 and 1,000 claims, adding they expected each to be between £20,000 and £40,000, depending on the property concerned.
More than 1,300 homes were hit by the floods, and at the peak of the chaos 5,000 properties were without power.
ABI spokesman Kelly Ostler-Coyle said: "Our advice is to people is call your insurance company as soon as possible. They quicker you call the quicker the claim can be dealt with."
Nick Starling, the ABI's director of general insurance and health, added: "Events like flooding highlight why insurance is so important.
"The first priority for insurers will be to ensure that every claim is dealt with as quickly as possible and they will do everything they can to help customers recover."