A TEACHER whose home was damaged by the torrential rain that hit Worcester last week has been told by his insurance company he cannot claim for it - because it was not a storm.

Peter Milton and his wife Ivete, of Vincent Road, off Wyld's Lane Worcester, were left scrambling around trying to catch water coming through the ceiling after the sheer force of the downpour last Wednesday damaged a roof tile, causing a leak through the roofing felt.

The extreme weather made the front page of the Worcester News, with city weatherman Paul Damari reporting 23.6mm of rain falling in 35 minutes - half the average monthly rainfall.

However, 45-year-old Mr Milton said he was left dumbfounded after staff at Prudential said the extreme weather was not classed as a storm as winds had not reached 45mph.

The English teacher at Evesham High School is now faced with having to stump up the cash to repair the damage caused, which is expected to cost about £400.

He said: "Fortunately, the ceiling didn't collapse but all of our pots and pans had to be requisitioned to catch the water, which was more than dripping through. When I called the insurance company the next morning I thought it would be a straightforward job but it was almost like the Little Britain quote: `The computer says no'.

"It came up on the computer that there were storms in the area but the wind speed was not high enough. I was dumbfounded."

Mr Milton said he was also told his roof should have been properly maintained but it was only six years old and he had no reason to believe it was in a bad state.

A Prudential spokesman said they insured against a single incident such as a storm causing structural damage and could not pay out for general wear and tear.

He added: "For that reason we need to substantiate the claim. We have extremely reliable weather records provided to us and there are occasions the weather is very different 15 miles away from where it's being recorded.

"The applicant would need a copy of a newspaper report to substantiate there was a single incident that caused the damage."