Property owners who live in parts of the country which are susceptible to flooding should install flood defences on their houses in order to get home insurance cover more easily, an industry figure has said.

Graeme Trudgill, technical and corporate affairs executive at the British Insurance Brokers' Association (Biba), claims members of the organisation have products in place whereby consumers can purchase home insurance cover provided they have taken adequate steps to reduce the risk of flooding.

Homeowners who follow this plan of action will ultimately save money in the long-term, Mr Trudgill said.

"If they do fit those defences then it means that they can get insurance and … if there are no claims after a couple of years their excess will be very low and the premiums should be very fair as well," he stated.

The Association of British Insurers claims more than 180,000 claims were dealt with by the industry, costing over £3 billion in payouts.

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