Customers urged to wrap up their homes for winter
WaterSafe, water companies and the Met Office have teamed up to make sure that homeowners, premises owners and facilities managers are ready for the cold weather.
As part of the government’s Get Ready for Winter campaign, WaterSafe is encouraging its members and other plumbers and heating engineers to make sure that their customers in residential and commercial premises get the message too.
Although 90 per cent of UK households in the UK say they know water pipes can freeze and burst in cold weather, only 23 per cent insulate their pipes and only 20 per cent have a plumber’s phone number to hand in case of emergencies, research has found.
The campaign urges property owners to wrap up their homes with pipe lagging and insulation to stay safe and healthy this winter. Mel Harrowsmith, head of civil contingencies at the Met Office, says: “While it’s too early to predict what weather this winter will bring, the Get Ready for Winter pages are designed to provide useful information that helps the UK public to be prepared and safe during the winter months, whatever the weather.”
The Met Office and WaterSafe have put together a list of top tips to help homeowners and businesses beat the winter blues – and they want your to help pass the message on your customers too:
• Wrap up pipes and water tanks with lagging – DIY stores have everything you need
• Fix dripping taps – even a small trickle can result in a frozen pipe
• Find your home’s stop tap and make sure you can turn it off – most are under the kitchen sink
• Leave the heating on low if you go away
• Check that your boiler has been serviced
• Keep the name of a plumber handy – type in your postcode at watersafe.org.uk to find your nearest accredited plumbing business.
