A FAMILY whose Worcester home was flooded this summer are still living upstairs, two months after they were forced out by rising waters.

Like hundreds of other residents in the county, The Churchill's had to move out of their home, in Hylton Road, after it was engulfed by flood water in July, when the country was lashed by severe rain.

They stayed in a bed and breakfast for three weeks before moving back in to the upstairs of their home. Now over two months later Andy and Bev Churchill, and 17-year-old daughter Jo, are still waiting to get back to normal.

"I am doing a lot of the repairs myself," said Mr Churchill. "But it takes time. Everything had to be ripped out of downstairs so it is a slow process putting it all back together."

Mr Churchill said he was now raising the floors in his home to help prevent future flooding and is not expecting to be able to move back in to the ground floor until December.

The Churchill's plight, which is echoed around the county, comes as the Association of British Insurers (ABI) warned that homes prone to frequent flooding could one day become uninsurable.

The organisation said companies could not continue to deal with the level of claims due to flooding, as seen this year, and is calling on the Government for more investment in flood defences.

Spokesman Malcolm Tarling said: "Around two million homes and businesses in the UK are at risk of flooding. They will be paying more for their insurance than those not at risk.

"What we are saying is that if the flood risk continues to get worse then insurance companies will not be able to offer insurance, or premiums will be so high that people may not be able to afford it."

Your Worcester News recently reported how pensioner Sue Joesbury's insurance excess had increased from £50 to £10,000. That was eventually reduced to £1,000.

The Hylton Road resident said future insurance was a huge concern. "Something needs to be done to ensure that we are protected," she said.

After the floods of 2000 the Government came up with an agreement known as the statement of principles which ensures that the 500,000 plus homes deemed at high risk receive cover as long as the government invests adequately in flood defences. The agreement is due to expire in 2010.

Worcester flood campaigner Mary Dhonau said she supported the ABI's call to the Government and said investment could be a winning policy in any general election.

"We need the investment now," she said. "But I would also call on homeowners to look at making their homes more flood resilient, something which will be looked on more favourably by insurance companies."