Flood support 'poorly targeted'

The Audit Commission warned that some councils would be left with much bigger bills than others for the catastrophe, which will cost the public purse a quarter of a billion pounds.

Due to different levels of insurance cover and the way that Whitehall assistance was allocated, the proportion of the costs that will be met by local authorities ranges from 3% to 73%.

The estimated net cost per household will be £317 in Hull compared to £1 in Cherwell, Oxfordshire, the Audit Commission said.

Some 70% of the estimated £250 million cost of the floods has been incurred by only four authorities - Hull, East Riding, Gloucestershire and Sheffield.

In a report on the disastrous impact of heavy rainfall in June and July, the Audit Commission described levels of Government support as generous. Its findings are based on studies of the 18 worst-affected local authorities,

Chief executive Steve Bundred said: "This is a tale of two floods. There are some local authorities which, although badly hit by the flooding, will bounce back quickly. Others will be dealing with the effects of the flooding for some time to come."

Mr Bundred said councils could not insure for every eventuality but - as catastrophes were more likely to happen somewhere in the country than in one particular area - there should be better support from the Government.

The Audit Commission also warned that the present lack of clarity about Government support meant councils were likely to either leave taxpayers exposed by under-insuring or waste money by over-insuring.

At least £20 million is expected to be claimed from the Government's Bellwin scheme for reimbursing the cost of emergencies.