The Association of British Insurers said the final bill was likely to be in the "low tens of millions" with the average repair bill costing about £20,000.

Insurers saw an increase in the number of claims received over the weekend, the bulk of which were from North East England and South Wales.

But residents in North Yorkshire are also among those beginning to clear up amid warnings that further bad weather on the way could cause additional flooding.

Norwich Union Senior claims manager Jason Harris said: "We continue to monitor the weather in view of the forecast for the next few days and our claims teams continue to be on stand-by."

Flood victims are advised to report the damage as quickly as possible to speed up their claim.

But Mr Harris warned it could take "several months" for homes to dry out to allow people to return.

The Met Office has issued weather warnings for the days ahead, with heavy rain moving northwards across the country from tomorrow.

Localised flooding is possible across Wales, the west coast, North West and Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland will also see the worst of the weather on Wednesday but this is expected to spread across the mainland on Thursday.

Heavy and prolonged downpours could result in up to 30mm of rainfall, with the possibility of flooding where ground is already saturated.

Severe weather warnings have been issued for the north west of England, Wales, the South West, Yorkshire & Humber, the Midlands and the north east.