Yesterday’s flash floods in the Midlands and north of England have caused chaos for homeowners, with repair costs expected to run into hundreds of millions of pounds.

Fortunately, most of those affected will be able to claim for the damage on their home insurance, with the average flood-related insurance claim reaching £15,000 to £20,000.

One insurer says that it received more claims for flooding yesterday than it would usually receive over six months. Abbey's claims data estimates that up to 8,600 claims were made yesterday alone, compared to the estimated 13,700 insurance claims that are made on average each year as a result of damage to the home caused by flooding.

Those who have suffered storm damage are being advised to:

• Contact their insurer as soon as possible. Most offer 24-hour emergency helpline services to arrange for repairs to be carried out. Most policies will cover the cost of alternative accommodation (up to a specified limit) if you need to move out of your home while it is being repaired.

Here are some of the emergency numbers:

Abbey: 08456 000733

Lloyds TSB: Branch network (Home Solutions policy) : 08453 000120

via Telephone or Internet (Home Options policy): 08453 002289

Halifax: 0800 0321752

Churchill: 0800 400695

More Than: 0800 300 699