A woman who lives at the top of a hill has been told her home is no longer at risk of flooding.

Frances Cane, 38, has lived in Cleve Terrace, Lewes, for seven years but has only just been told her insurance company will remove her house from a map of high-risk flood areas.

Her home is among 900 households in Lewes which could benefit from a mapping exercise by Norwich Union.

It will make sure people living near rivers but well out of the way of floods do not pay high premiums.

Ms Cane's cosy family home enjoys stunning views over the rooftops of Lewes.

The four-bedroom property is just metres from the high water mark of the last massive flood in Lewes in 2000, which damaged hundreds of homes and businesses. But it is so high that if her home flooded, the rest of England would also be under water.

The homes in Lewes are among 600,000 across the country expected to be taken off the high-risk map. Many had been blacklisted by insurance companies because they fell within the area marked out by the Environment Agency as within ten metres of flood areas.

They were also reluctant to insure homes in a postcode area affected in the past.

The new map cost Norwich Union £5 million to produce and more accurately pinpoints the areas at risk.

Ms Cane said she would contact Norwich Union to find out if her insurance premium would be slashed.

She said: "The water would have to be above the first floor of houses at the bottom just to be level with our front doorstep. They should decide premiums from house to house."

Her neighbours were also delighted at the announcement.

Retired teacher David Louis, 60, said: "Last year I shopped around for quotes. But the companies just took one look at my postcode and said 'No way'."

Randolph Morse, 55, a tour manager, said: "The amount of water needed to flood this part of the hill would be colossal - it would be like Noah's Ark.

"If we get flooded, we have to pay for the first £2,500 damage. I will write to them and tell them they can take that off now."

The Lewes Flood Action group gave a "cautious welcome" to the announcement and raised concerns for homes still seen as a flooding risk.

The group conducted a survey of 254 homes and businesses in Lewes which found more than one in four had been hit by increases in premiums.

Thirty-eight were refused any insurance while 21 could not be covered for flooding, said the group's chairman Maureen Messer.

A Norwich Union spokeswoman said more than 200 homes would still find it difficult to get insurance or would face high premiums.

But she said: "Those in a good news bracket will get an immediate benefit with premiums going down."

Households close to other flood-prone areas such as Uckfield, Robertsbridge, Hellingly, near Hailsham, and Chichester are also expected to benefit.