Parts of Carlisle were left uninhabitable after the floods

His comments come in a response to two reports into devastating storms which hit the north of England in January.

Mr Morley called for more co-operation between government agencies, emergency services and housebuilders to help reduce the impact of similar tragedies.

He warned climate change would mean a "greater frequency" of severe floods.

The reports have been produced with help from local councils, emergency services, residents and the Environment Agency.

Mr Morley announced the creation of a new Flood Emergencies Capabilities Programme, which will see through the recommendations of the reports.

We are likely to see a greater frequency of such events in future years given the expected impact of climate change Environment Minister Elliott Morley

In a Written Statement to Parliament he said: "A major storm produced exceptional amounts of rain over a 36 hour period, leading to overtopping of defences and flooding of some 3,000 properties.

"These reports show how flooding came from both the rivers and from surface water routes.

"The conditions as experienced in January also make the provision of timely warnings extremely difficult, for example in some parts of Carlisle where flooding from surface water sources preceded overtopping of the river defences.

"Nevertheless, the Environment Agency is reviewing with other bodies involved what improvements can be made to warning systems."

Repairing damage

Mr Morley said the reports identified areas where the local emergency services and other agencies could build on the experiences of January.

He added: "It is important that all services, utilities, business and householders who are at risk should do what they can to strengthen their resilience to flooding.

"We are likely to see a greater frequency of such events in future years given the expected impact of climate change.