However, a Forres flood action campaigner said that it was all talk, as the opposite seems to be happening in the Forres area.

Mr Lochhead was speaking after the Scottish Government and the Association of British Insurers agreed to work together on a long-term plan to minimise flood risks and to help people more quickly when flooding occurs.

"The introduction of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill aims to tackle problem areas by delivering better protection for vulnerable areas, such as those at risk in Moray," he said. "However, until updated measures are put in place, the news of this historic agreement between the Scottish Government and the ABI will go a long way towards easing the financial pressures and worries home-owners and businesses at risk in Moray may have."

But veteran Forres Flood Action campaigner, Maurice Dufficy, of Meikle Crook, which was inundated in 1997, said that although he welcomed the news that insurance companies had pledged to make things easier for people, and he was pleased to hear that the Government was talking about improving the planning system to prevent development in flood risk areas, in reality this was the opposite to what was happening.

"After our house flooded, we had awful problems getting insurance," he said. "The premiums were doubled, and have only recently started to come down again. The insurance companies won't look at taking an area off the "flood risk" register until at least eight years later. It is a contentious subject, but living in a flood risk area puts the frighteners on people trying to buy and sell, and after all, people have to get insurance somewhere."

Mr Dufficy said that as regards the changes to the planning system being welcomed by Mr Lochhead, in his opinion "the exact opposite" was happening in Forres.

"There is development on flood plains all around here," he said. "People would feel a lot more secure if no development was done until a proper flood alleviation scheme was put in place. This is what I have been saying all along."

Mr Lochhead said that people in Moray who were living with the risk of flooding did not want under any circumstances to be faced with the same problems again, but the agreement should give them some peace of mind.

"This is excellent news for people in Moray, considering what many have been through with flooding," said Mr Lochhead. "Given the number of homes at risk from flooding in Moray, many will be heaving a sigh of relief."

Environment Minister Michael Russell said that although flood defences and warnings could reduce the risk of flooding, risks could never be completely eliminated, and the new agreement would enable households and small businesses to plan for and minimise the financial costs of flooding.

"Insurance companies will provide effective and efficient claims services and repair teams when flooding occurs," he said, "while the Government will put in place various policies to promote flood prevention and mitigation schemes."

He said that the agreement was part of the shared commitment to work together to provide a long-term solution that would enable flood insurance to remain as affordable and widely available as possible.

The Scottish Government has agreed to undertake a variety of measures including: improving understanding and awareness of flood risk and developing a long-term strategy over 25 years to reduce flood risk and encourage action to mitigate and minimise the risks and costs of flooding.

The agreement will also ensure the planning system prevents inappropriate development in flood-risk areas, whilst ensuring any essential new development in medium to high-risk areas is flood resistant.

The Association of British Insurers has agreed to continue to make flood insurance available for homes and small businesses and promote access to insurance for low-income householdsABI's assistant director of Property Insurance, Justin Jacobs, said that the agreement was good news for Scottish customers.

"The Scottish Government rightly recognises that a long-term flood strategy, backed by adequate resources and funding, is the best way to manage the growing flood threat," he said. "We look forward to continuing to work with them to ensure that these measures are implemented, so that flood protection relied upon by home-owners and businesses remains widely available."

Previous agreements have been made between the ABI and UK Government, and did not always reflect the circumstances in Scotland. This agreement will be reviewed annually.

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