For flood-hit areas the problems don’t stop after the waters have receded

Residents of Morpeth, which last flooded in 2012, have spent the subsequent years battling to keep their insurance costs down

Government pledges to spend billions of pounds on flood defences won't necessarily shield householders against rising insurance costs in flood-hit areas of the country, despite the protection they offer.

Around 23m of defences were completed in June in the Northumberland town of Morpeth after major floods in 2008 and 2012 wrought devastation. Yet some householders near the river Wansbeck still face massive and sometimes rising insurance premiums.