With floods making many homeless and left with nothing, leading insurance provider Hiscox has urged customers to check what they are covered for before disaster strikes.

Hiscox believe that homeowners living in at risk areas need to be educated about what kind of insurance policy they need and how they can ensure that they are absolutely covered in the correct way.

Hiscox UK managing director Steve Langan said: "As Sir Michael has pointed out, there were significantly different levels of service experienced by the people affected by the floods in 2007.

"Too many people see insurance as a commodity, partly because the insurance industry has, for too long, sold itself on price and not highlighted the value of service. Last year's events have proved that, at present, homeowners can suffer as a result.

"Because it is a low interest purchase, most consumers don't look at the detail and think that all home insurance is more or less the same. In fact, you get hugely different levels of service from one policy to another.

"Like most things in life, you get what you pay for.

He warned that waiting for another disaster was the worst possible way with which to deal with it and that action must be taken now.

“Homeowners need to think beyond price and scrutinise the service they are entitled to in the event of a crisis of this nature. And the insurance industry needs to consider carefully how it markets itself, so that homeowners are able to make a more informed choice," Mr Langan said.

Hiscox have also said that they feel the government needs to step in and make flooding a priority by better managing flood plains.