Hazel Blears, the communities secretary, will visit Hull on Friday. On Thursday she visited Sheffield, which has also been badly hit by the floods.

She said: "There are crisis grants available, there are some community care grants available. We've really got to see now how we can help people through this process.

"It's incredibly traumatic to see your lifetime's possessions ruined and swept away in this way, and we want to help as much as we can."

Mmmmmmm yes there are crisis grants, but only if you are on benefits. Seems the hardworking sector of the great british public will have to get into "more" debt to replace items lost in the flood.

Some people need to be on benefits, but there are a lot more who are nothing but scroungers. Why should they get more help than people who work to earn a pittance living