Brown to visit flooded areas in England

LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) Prime Minister Gordon Brown is visiting flooded areas of England today amid claims the government has taken too long to address the chaos brought by June's deluge.

Insurers say they expect to pay out 1.5 billion pounds in claims after torrential rain hit Humberside, Yorkshire and the Midlands.

Brown has pledged help for flood victims, who are still clearing up two weeks later with thousands unable to return to their homes for months because of water damage.

Hull, where 16,000 homes have been hit, was described as the ''forgotten city'' by civic leaders after media attention focused on flood-swamped areas elsewhere.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson, whose constituency is in Hull, told BBC radio that it would have been inappropriate for ministers to visit at the height of the emergency or last weekend, when more flooding was feared.

''I think this week is the right time for people to come and see actually what is happening and start the job of assessing what damage has been done,'' he told BBC radio.

''People can be absolutely assured that we are going to provide the assistance needed to recover from this dreadful blow,'' he said.

The Treasury will host a meeting with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) on Tuesday to discuss the floods and the related insurance claims.

The ABI yesterday raised its estimate of the cost to the industry of the UK floods to 1.5 billion pounds from 1 billion pounds. It now estimates that 27,500 homes and 7,000 businesses were hit by.

Archbishop of York John Sentamu, who visited Hull yesterday, told BBC television a swift response was needed.

''What needs to happen now is to make sure that those who lost their homes can be sorted out pretty quickly,'' he said.

Brown yesterday acknowledged his attention had been diverted by the bomb plots in Glasgow and London but said he was now focused on the floods.

''We are putting in more money to help the distressed areas,'' he said.

''I will be able to say when I visit these areas that there will be also help for an emergency disaster fund that has been set up.'' The South Yorkshire Flood Disaster Relief Fund has already raised more than 110,000 pounds from public donations while Humberside authorities have set up the Hull Flood Fund.

Brown said there would be a ''comprehensive programme'' to deal with the immediate problems of the flooding as well as longer term recovery plans.

Reuters RJ GC1400