BUSINESSES left feeling under the weather following the storms and floods have been advised to make risk action plans to avoid future problems.

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) said the atrocious weather earlier this month had left thousands of small and medium-sized firms in difficulties.

Parts of the Ribble Valley and Earby were left under water and major roads throughout the area were affected by flooding, which is estimated to have cost householders and businesses millions of pounds in lost property and trade.

Ilyas Patel, ACCA's Lancashire spokesman, said: "The Government is suggesting that stormier weather will be a regular occurrence.

"Businesses should, therefore, assess their exposure and take necessary action to safeguard their assets and trade."

Mr Patel advised businesses to:

Consider your location. Property on a flood plain may not be such a good investment.

Keep back-up copies of data on disks stored in a secure and separate location.

Keep perishable goods somewhere safe, which may simply mean using the first floor of a warehouse.

Ensure you are properly covered by insurance.

Ensure staff are aware of emergency procedures and can be contacted in a crisis.

Consider emergency office arrangements. It is possible to buy access to emergency office space which can be activated at 24 hours' notice.

Review transport arrangements and think about how to despatch crucial orders if normal methods are unavailable.

"Taking these precautions will help to reduce insurance premiums, in the same way that having a burglar alarm or car immobiliser cuts bills," said Mr Patel.

"The floods prove a bigger point. Every business needs disaster precautions as flood, fire and theft do not always happen to other people."