Much of the UK has endured heavy rain in recent weeks, with Yorkshire particularly affected by flooding - and heavy showers are predicted for the coming few days, meaning that householders all over the country could be hit by high water levels.

In light of this increased danger, Richard Mason, director of insurance at UK comparison site moneysupermarket.com, has released his tips for anyone unfortunate enough to be affected by floods.

"You may need to claim on both your home contents and buildings policy," he said adding that "fixtures such as fireplaces and electric lights, which you may have thought would be covered under a buildings policy, will usually fall under home contents".

"In some cases, if the potential claim on one or other policy is small, it may be more prudent not to claim against it," he continued.

"Not claiming may be wiser for two reasons: firstly the excess may be not worth paying and secondly the claim may result in a large increase in your premiums."