Claims for flood damage soar to £100million

Insurance claims for damage caused by the floods have reached £100million, it was estimated today.

Up to 1,000 claims have been made since record amounts of rainfall devastated Cumbria, northern Scotland and Wales.

The Association of British Insurers said it was braced for more as torrential storms, which have flooded at least 1,500 homes, continued to wreak havoc.

The floods claimed the life of Pc Bill Barker, 44, in Cumbria and of kayaker Chris Wheeler, 46, in Devon. A 21-year-old woman in south Wales is also feared dead after she was swept into the river Usk in Brecon on Saturday night.

Meanwhile in Cumbria, families say they are running out of food as many are unable to reach shops after six bridges collapsed.