Flood risk in some parts of the UK is affecting the home insurance premiums paid by Britons in all parts of the country.

A recent analysis suggests that homeowners living in places not considered prone to flooding are having the costs of other places considered risky passed on to them in their premiums.

This position was backed by the AA, which said home insurance premiums have risen since last year’s floods.

The insurance firm’s director, Simon Douglas, argued that the days of cheap home insurance policies are almost over.

“The sharp rise over the past year indicated by the shoparound index for buildings cover suggests insurers offering the lowest premiums have revised rates to take account of predictions of more frequent flash floods,” he explained.

Following last year’s summer floods insurers dealt with about 180,000 flood claims resulting in more than £3 billion pay outs.

Mr Douglas said about half of those claims were from areas not known to be prone to flooding.