A PENSIONER was stunned when her household insurance premium rocketed from £318 to a staggering £803 - almost five years after her York home was badly flooded.

Margaret Walker said the hike by Fortis Insurance came like a "bolt from the blue", after she had experienced only modest rises for four years after the floods of November 2000.

"I couldn't believe it," said Mrs Walker, of Shipton Road, Rawcliffe, who hit the headlines in 2000 when Prince Charles visited her devastated property.

"I went hot and cold all over. I could have had a heart attack," she said.

But when she tried to get a better deal from other insurers, they would not even give her a quote once she mentioned the floods - even though steps have been taken to prevent Rawcliffe suffering any repeat.

The premium increase was condemned today by York councillor and Rawcliffe parish chairman Richard Moore, who said: "To ask a pensioner to increase her premium from £318 to £803 when there has been no material change is unreasonable. It's asking a pensioner to pay one week's pension per month for insurance."

He believed it was possible that other York people affected by flooding in 2000 could also face premium increases. He believed the insurance problems were linked to the Environment Agency's new flood zone maps, which indicate which areas are at risk of flooding.

He said it had been known for house sales to fall through because the prospective purchaser could not get flood insurance.

The agency's website shows Shipton Road as being at "moderate" risk of being flooded, despite action being taken to protect the areas since 2000. Coun Moore said that the agency had said in a letter to him in 2001 that the flood was an "extreme" event, with the chances of it happening again being "very remote", and he called for a reclassification.

The agency defended its decision to describe the area as being at moderate risk, and said it could not be responsible for the premiums set by insurance companies.

Mrs Walker said that after contacting her insurers, they had offered to cut her premium hike - provided she agreed to a £5,000 excess, and she was now trying to decide whether to accept this and live with the risk of a £5,000 bill hanging over her.

A Fortis spokeswoman said today Mrs Walker had been insured with the company for a number of years, and even though she lived in an area at increased risk from flooding, it wanted to provide her with the benefit of a household insurance policy as she was unable to obtain cover from other insurers.

"Insurance underwriters are constantly reviewing risks and as information comes to light, rating structures are changed accordingly," she said.

The company was pleased that preventative action had been taken in the area and was therefore happy to reduce Mrs Walker's premium with a higher excess. She said the excess should not be an issue because of the low risk.

She added that the company would be reviewing this postcode area, assessing the impact of the new flood defence protections.

"We constantly review the marketplace and aim to offer customers affordable insurance wherever they may live."

She refused to say whether other Fortis customers in York were facing similar hikes in their premiums, or whether the increase had been caused by the Environment Agency's flood zone maps or other factors had been responsible.

lHas Fortis - or any other insurer - increased your insurance premium? Phone our newsdesk on 01904 567131.

Updated: 10:43 Wednesday, August 31, 2005