With flood waters now sweeping across many parts of the country, homeowners need to check through the contents of their home insurance to find out what they are and aren't covered for, says one industry expert.

Richard Mason, director of insurance at moneysupermarket.com, claims that there is a real need for "homeowners living in flood risk areas to be more rigorous than others when it comes to insurance".

Numerous flood warnings have been extended across much of England and Wales in the last few days, with the worst rain set to afflict areas such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and North Devon - and Mr Mason thinks that householders should check "the exact details of what their buildings and contents policies cover as well as the limits and excesses on both".

"If you are unfortunate enough to have been hit by recent flooding, you may need to claim on both your home contents and buildings policy," he continued.

"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. Also be sure to take expensive portable items upstairs or somewhere else dry. Your insurer will expect you to minimise your claim in this way.

"In some cases, if the potential claim on one or other policy is small, it may be more sensible not to claim against it. Not claiming may be wiser for two reasons: firstly the excess may be not worth paying; secondly the claim may result in a large increase in your premiums."