Forty-five flood warnings remain in place today and more rain is forecast after a weekend of devastating floods in England and Wales that killed eight people.

A massive clean-up operation has begun and stricken residents, whose homes were deluged during the weekend of relentless rain, will be visited by John Healey, the Floods Minister, today.

The North East has been the most seriously affected but flash floods have also hit parts of Yorkshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

More than 400 people were evacuated from their homes in Morpeth, Northumberland, after the River Wansbeck burst its banks causing the worst flooding since the 1960s and almost cutting the town off. A RAF helicopter was used to airlift the stranded residents to safety.

The floods are likely to become worse before they recede as rainwater drains into river systems, the Environment Agency said. The damage may take months to repair and further heavy rain is likely to hamper the efforts to return to normal.

Stephen Davenport, a senior forecaster at Meteogroup, said: “It will be dry today apart from the odd shower but there’s more rain coming overnight and tomorrow.

"It’s not going to be as prolonged or quite as heavy as it has been but there will be some heavy rain around.”

He said that 6-12mm of rain would fall in some areas overnight with the South the worst hit. The North East will experience further downpours on Thursday night and Friday morning.

Mr Healey, who is in charge of flood recovery, will meet staff from the emergency services and others involved in the rescue effort and clean-up.

Mr Healey is due to announce that the Government will run the Bellwin scheme providing emergency financial assistance from the Government to local authorities to meet the costs of an emergency or disaster.

The minister will discuss what support is needed from the Government with residents and the agencies who will help to get the area back on its feet in the next couple of months, a spokesman said.

He will report back to the Prime Minister and meet the insurance industry chiefs to discuss their plans for dealing with what may be a large number of claims in affected areas as quickly and effectively as possible.

The Association of British Insurers warned that one in four homes nationwide did not have flood insurance. Even fewer are insured in areas suffering repeat flooding, where premiums are much higher.

Norwich Union, one of the biggest insurers of home contents in the country, reported an increase in claims over the weekend, mostly from north east England and south Wales, which was hit hard on Friday.

Anne McIntosh, MP for the Vale of York, and Shadow Floods Minister, will visit Pickering in North Yorkshire today to see the impact of the heavy rain at the weekend.

Severe flood warnings were issued for the town, which has been hit by flooding repeatedly in recent years. A lifeboat crew was on standby to help evacuate the town after a beck burst its banks yesterday. Campaigners have called for better defences for the town for years but in 2004 a proposed £6.7 million scheme was shelved.

Miss McIntosh said: “I would like to express my sympathy to all those affected by the weekend’s flooding, especially those families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. I want to see for myself how the town coped with the latest spell of heavy rain to cause problems.”

The waters have claimed the lives of at least eight people since Friday.

Flood deaths

17-year-old girl from Thamesmead, London

Location: Powys

Incident: Car plunged into floodwater on final day of adventure holiday

Alex Wright, 27

Location: Gloucestershire

Incident: The soil engineer was inspecting a trench at a building site on Friday when a he was buried by a mudslide

Barry Rowe and Rebecca Hoynes, both 30

Location: Plymouth

Incident: The couple’s car skidded off the road during a heavy storm on Friday

Taxi driver

Location: River Severn at Minsterworth, Gloucestershire

Incident: Car skidded off the main road next to the swollen river

Motorcyclist, 42

Location: Scotch Corner, North Yorkshire

Incident: A motorcyclist from Sheffield hit a tree branch that had fallen during gales on Friday

Swimmer

Location: Perranporth, Cornwall

Incident: Died after being pulled from the sea on Saturday afternoon. Rescuers braved 4ft waves and force 6-7 winds

Swimmer

Location: Barton on Sea, Hampshire

Incident: A middle-aged woman drowned in the sea

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