Peter Rawcliffe and his wife, Maggie, know about flood damage. Their four-bedroom house in the village of South Hinksey, near Oxford, has been hit by flooding three times in 20 years. The second time, in 2003, their £2,000 oak flooring was ruined. It was this that made the couple, above, decide to install £40,000 worth of resilience flood defences.

An undergound pump expels excess water into the garden, but other systems are less high-tech: they use yoghurt pots to protect chair legs.

Peter, a retired GP, says: “After the first time we were flooded, in 2000, it didn't occur to us that it would happen again. It may seem naive, but there was very little information around, and none of the authorities or insurance companies suggested that we flood-proof the house. We came up with most of the ideas ourselves.”

The work has paid for itself. When the couple were flooded for the third time, in 2007, there was so little water on the ground floor that they had a dinner party. “We didn't make any insurance claims the third time because almost nothing was damaged,” Peter says. “We got a little bit of damp in one wall, but we fixed and paid for that ourselves.”

He adds: “Don't underestimate the emotional cost. You lose belongings, you have to camp out upstairs for months while repairs are carried out and daily life becomes incredibly complicated. Obviously, not being flooded at all would be even better, but the system we have now is very manageable indeed.”

One in six homes in England is at risk of flooding, according to a new Environment Agency report. The Government has spent billions of pounds installing coastal and river flood defences such as the Thames Barrier. But investment will have to rise from £570 million a year to £1 billion to protect the 500,000 homes at most risk. Many homeowners, such as those affected by the 2007 floods that left 17,000 households homeless, are likely to find that they are not protected; in particular those at risk of “surface flooding”, which is caused by overflowing drains rather than rivers or the sea.

A survey of flooded households by Norwich Union a year after the 2007 floods found that 83 per cent believed that there was nothing they could do to protect their homes; only 5 per cent had installed any defences.

Flooding damages not only your home, but its value. Luke Morgan, of Savills in Oxfordshire, says: “Some properties that lie in the flood plain have dropped by 35 per cent in price since mid-2007 - that's 10 per cent more than the local average. Those that have put in some kind of defence system are beginning to sell again now. Those that are still at significant risk of flood damage are struggling.”

Homes that are not protected run the risk of their premiums being raised if the property is repeatedly flooded. Arthur Philp, of Aviva, the insurer, says that a normal premium may be doubled or tripled if an insurance company considers the property to be at high risk. By contrast, it may reduce your excess costs if you show that you are trying to protect your home.

Malcolm Tarling, of the Association of British Insurers (ABI), says: “Under the industry's flood agreement, ABI members will continue (until 2013) to offer renewal terms to existing customers, provided that the flood risk is adequately managed.”

What you need to know

Flood defences can reduce repair costs after a flood by anything from 50 per cent to 80 per cent.

“Resilience” packages, recommended by the Government, typically cost more than £30,000. They allow water into the property but limit the damage once it is there.

These packages include alterations such as raising electrical sockets, installing solid concrete or limestone floors in place of wooden ones and raising and replacing all kitchen cabinets.

“Resistance” measures, which try to prevent the water entering the property in the first place, are cheaper - sometimes costing as little as £2,500. However, some experts believe that they do not last as long and are less effective. These include flood guards on doors and a valve that prevents the sewerage system from backing up.

Some changes do alter the look of a property and planning permission may be needed if your home is a listed building or in a conservation area.

For more information on how to protect your home against flooding, go to environment-agency.gov.uk

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