Loss adjuster Capita McLarens has invoked its catastrophe operations plan to deal with a sharp increase in claims caused by the recent storms in Scotland and the North of England.
The firm said the scale of the damage caused in the last ten days was almost unprecedented.
Capita McLarens technical director Phil Heron said: "The scale of the damage is equivalent to that caused by the storms in Christmas 1998, which were the worst the regions had encountered for 30 years.
"We expect a significantly higher volume of claims than usual over the next few weeks, and it's imperative that the industry works together to accommodate them efficiently.
"We are taking a number of steps, and a number of our instructing principals have adapted their standard service and reporting procedures to do just this."
The firm has drafted in additional adjusting and support teams to offices throughout the worst affected regions to deal exclusively with storm claims.
The teams include extra building surveying and technical staff from Capita's associated company, Capita Property Consultants.
