Pubs in areas commonly hit by flooding are set to be affected by a lack of government spending on flood defences - but there are a number of things they can do to minimise the effect of flood waters.

This is the opinion of Kelly Ostler, spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers. She says that pubs should look at their flooring options and the way their kitchens are organised.

"There's quite a few measures pubs can put into place like replacing floorboards with concrete floors and elevating kitchen appliances so they're not directly on the floor," she told The Publican magazine recently.

She said that these kind of anti-flood measures wouldn't help stop a flood - but might mean landlords would be able to get back in business quicker.

"Not having to throw everything out and start again could be the difference between your business surviving and not surviving."

The ABI recently expressed its concern at the amount the government is pledging towards flood defence. It suggested a total of £2.35 billion, while the government committed only £2.15 billion.

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