Last year's floods led to claims totalling �1.3bn

He said about 1,000 policyholders had contacted the firm so far, but that number was expected to rise as people discovered damage to their homes.

The view was echoed by Jenny Chapman at Norwich Union, who said the overall situation was still unclear.

She said many people had been unable to register claims as they were still without electricity or a telephone line following the storms.

Gill Murphy at Direct Line told BBC News Online the storm damage was unlikely to lead to higher insurance costs.

"The storms are not likely to result an increase in premiums taken in isolation," she said.

Floods

At the Association of British Insurers (ABI), Malcolm Tarling said the bad weather was the sort of event that insurance companies prepared for each year when setting premiums.

And the companies said the costs will not be anywhere near as bad as those seen following the floods of last winter.

Widespread flooding in the UK last autumn and winter caused misery for thousands of people, and led to massive insurance claims.

The ABI says the costs of the floods reached �1.3bn, of which �850m stemmed from claims on damage to domestic properties.