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Insurers are warning that damage to homes and businesses by storms could become more frequent and expensive in the UK.

As the nation starts its recovery from a day of severe storms that damaged homes and businesses, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) warned that UK residents may not have seen the end of the bad weather.

It says that that the number of homes and businesses at high flood risk has increased by 100 per cent over the last five years; putting more than half a million UK homes at risk. And the insurance association says that climate change will increase the risk to insurers, potentially hiking the cost of insurance premiums.

Jane Milne, ABI's head of property insurance, said: "Insurers are geared up to dealing with storm damage claims as quickly and efficiently as possible. Over the last three years they have paid on average £600 million a year to policy holders hit by storms."

The association has called for action to protect towns from the risk of flood damage. Innovative building designs, it says, could make homes and businesses more resilient to the threat.

"Action taken now will help to keep property insurance widely available and affordable," added Ms Milne.

Thursday's storms in the UK killed at least nine people and caused severe disruption to road, rail and sea networks. Homes and businesses were damaged as winds of up to 99mph brought down trees and power lines.