13 December 2007
Utilities firm Southern Water has issued some special seasonal advice to its customers.
With the Met Office predicting a colder winter than last year - and much of the country experiencing sub-zero temperatures this week - the danger of burst frozen water pipes has increased.
To stave off the "misery" of such incidents, the water firm has issued some top tips to householders to protect their pipework.
Turning off dripping taps, making sure that tanks and cisterns are lagged and keeping central heating systems drained all came highly recommended from Southern Water.
Andy Riches, Southern Water’s Regional Distribution Manager, said: "Burst water pipes not only cause a huge amount of damage and misery, they can also result in lots of water going to waste.
"We are urging all our customers to take precautions such as making sure taps are turned off and pipes are lagged to help prevent pipes freezing and bursting - some of the steps will take just a small amount of time and could save a whole lot of misery."
Burst pipework is a financial drain on householders and water suppliers alike - with firms in line for censure from regulator Ofwat if they fail pre-existing anti-leakage targets.
According to latest figures from the regulator, covering the 2006/07 period, around 3.4 billion litres of water are lost in the UK through leakage annually.
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