Property owners across Britain have been left devastated after floods that have damaged homes and businesses, and according to forecasts, more flooding is expected this weekend. Last weeks flooding left eight dead with at least 600 injured. The latest downpour has been estimated costing over one billion pounds.

Among the worst hit was South Yorkshire, where streets are still desolate and many left homeless; massive clean up operations are underway that have been predicted to last several months. Some residents experienced water up to 5ft throughout the ground floor of their properties, once subsided leaving behind thick mud. In Sheffield the heavy downpour resulted in the River Don and River Sheaf bursting their banks; the lack of transport infrastructure meant many were left stranded.

For those unfortunate enough to have no insurance the damage is immeasurable. Mary Dhonau, coordinator of the National Flood Forum said, "That's an awful lot of people who can't afford new accommodation and they don't have the money to replace all their items. It's heartbreaking. It's bad enough being flooded but to not have insurance is just the pits."

More insurance claims were made last week than half of an average years total, leaving many insurers struggling to cope. The Association of British Insurers Director General, Stephen Haddrill explains, Insurers are working as hard as possible to reach customers and to visit properties early. But these events are so widespread that insurers are redeploying staff to affected areas, increasing staffing levels in call centres and undertaking visits to community centres. However, even emergency procedures cannot deliver our normal standards of service. We are doing all we can to help families, elderly customers and those with health difficulties first. We hope that other people can bear with us as we work through the backlog. We will reach everyone as soon as we can.