While printers in the South West face the worst of the weather at the weekend, flood warnings have since spread to the rivers Severn and Trent.

Of the nearly 200 flood warnings currently issued by the Environment Agency, 76 are in the Midlands and 40 in the North East, compared to 66 and 17 in those regions yesterday.

The worst hit areas on Tuesday morning were St Asaph in North Wales and Pickering in Yorkshire while water levels were said to have stabilised at Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire.

Wallis said: "We've seen over the past five to six years with the changing weather patterns lots of printers being caught out. Many have suffered from flooding and some businesses haven't survived.

"The last thing you want is a natural disaster when we're in the middle of a recession. The trouble is that business continuity is one of things people always think they'll get round to later, whereas really it should be top of the pile.

"It's not just things like IT systems and estimating, which people tend to focus on, but where you're going to get the print for existing customers fulfilled so that you don't let anyone down. If that means talking to competitors then that's what you should be doing."

Wallis added that printers should get advice from their insurers ahead of any potential disaster and not just wait until after it has happened. "They are there to help guide, advise and support not just after something has happened but before as well," he said.

If your business has been affected by flooding please post your story below or email simon.nias@haymarket.com