According to the Association of British Insurers, a quarter of UK adults are in the dark as to whether or not their home is at risk of flooding and storm damage. The professional body said that only 27% of these homeowners would know how to find out. It also highlighted the beneficial impact of preventive measures should extreme weather strike.

The ABI said that during the first six months of the year, claims for weather-related damage to people’s homes and possessions hit £424m.

Louise Clark (pictured), manager of general insurance policy at the ABI, said: “Flooding or storm damage can be incredibly distressing and costly. Unfortunately, we can’t control the weather, but we can take steps to help lessen the damage it can cause to our homes – and the disruption to our lives.  

“During extreme weather events, insurers’ first priority will be to help their customers return to normal life as quickly as possible. But prevention is always better than cure, so we’d encourage everyone to take action and prepare their homes in case of extreme weather strikes.”