Homes in Bocking, Essex, were cut off

"All our theories about flooding, that other areas would be affected first, have gone out of the window," she said.

She is now contemplating rebuilding the house on higher ground.

"If flooding happens here there would be no option of moving and what chance would we have of selling it?

"The only option would be to build a house further back from the water," she said.

Relocation option

"We're in a conservation area so it would not be easy."

Andy Miller, who runs a welding firm in Sible Hedingham near Braintree, Essex, has lost a week's work after his workshops were flooded.

He is not insured against flooding because the premiums are too high and said he is now considering relocating.

"The yard has flooded previously but not the workshops and if this is going to happen regularly then we've got to seriously think about moving," he said.

Parts of Kelvedon were impassable

"If this happens a couple of more times then we won't be around.

"Once, you can take on the chin but a third time, that would be it, I couldn't have a workshop in that high a risk area."

He admits setting up in another location would be very difficult.

"We've lost one week's business which means for this month we've lost our profit and in a small business you work from month to month.

Trade change

"Other premises would mean our rent going up drastically and those premises often demand rent up front while we are still trying to make up for losses this month."

Don Rose, who runs a neighbouring business hiring out luxury cars, said he may have to review his business strategy.

He has suffered losses of up to �9,000 after losing two cars to the floods and having seven others damaged,but he had put his most valuable limousines up on ramps to protect them.

"The flooding means we'll have to review the way we operate and have to make big decisions about the type of clients that we cater for," he said.

Premiums safe

"We may have to concentrate on the more profitable trade and cut back on the less profitable like providing cars for stag nights where the car can get damaged."

But Lesley Cairns, the eastern England manager for the Royal and Sun Alliance insurance company, said premiums will not change just because of the floods.

"Premiums are not determined by one event, they're determined by a broad range of factors that are looked at over a number of years," she said.

"Although as a responsible company we do review premiums to ensure that we remain viable."

Risk talks

She added that large numbers of properties would not automatically become considered a high flood risk.

"We're in talks with various bodies about what action they are going to take over river and sea defences.

"We want to get the people that are accountable in this area to do their job properly instead of simply changing risk assessment."

On Wednesday, there were five flood alerts in place in Essex, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk and four in the Midlands in Derbyshire and Leicestershire.

But the Environment Agency says flood waters are receding following two days of torrential rain.