The worst floods to hit England for 150 years have started to recede but the task of clearing up the wreckage continues.

Five people died as a result of the torrential rains in the past five days. Many others had their homes damaged or destroyed. Insurers estimate the final bill could be £1.5bn.

The Environment Agency of England and Wales said it believed conditions in the worst-hit areas of the Midlands and East Anglia would now improve.

Soldiers worked all weekend to stem the floods

"We are cautiously optimistic that the worst is now over," an agency spokesman said on Monday. "But river levels will remain high for the next 48 hours and it will take some days to get back to normality."

Troops have joined police to try to carry out a quick clear-up operation.

But police complained that sightseers, keen to witness the effects of the natural disaster, were hindering their work.

Counting the cost

The floods caused hundreds of people to evacuate their homes and left hundreds more without electricity.

On Saturday night, soldiers were called back from their Easter leave to help the emergency services.

Floods swamp homes

Insurance companies are anticipating that claims for damaged and destroyed property will be as much as £500m but some put the final total at around three times that figure.

Tony Baker, Deputy Director General of the Association of British Insurers, said: "This looks much bigger than the £300m weather event in December and January."

He said loss adjusters will be working flat-out to inspect damage and assess claims, and urged people to contact their insurers as soon as possible.

But he warned that a quarter of people in the country do not have any home contents insurance and will not be eligible for compensation.

On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott visited deluged towns in the Midlands and paid tribute to the "remarkable spirit" of people who have had to cope with the misery of being swamped at holiday time.
 

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