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Jan 2022

Last Updated: 05/01/2022

Community

Yorkshire Water issues frozen pipes warning as temperature plummets

by Suzannah Rogerson

| 05 Jan, 2022

Yorkshire Water is urging people to wrap their pipes in foam insulation to prevent them bursting as temperatures fall below freezing. A yellow weather warning for snow is effective in the Harrogate district tomorrow.

Yorkshire Water has warned people to take precautions to prevent their pipes bursting during the cold weather.

A severe cold weather warning is currently in place for the Harrogate district and temperatures fell as low as minus five degrees centigrade last night.

A yellow weather warning for snow is currently effective in the district from 10am to 4pm tomorrow.

Yorkshire Water said in a statement today pipes were likely to freeze and urged people to wrap them in foam insulation, called lagging, to prevent them bursting when the frozen water expands. The company added:

"If pipes do freeze, turn the water off at the stop tap and defrost the pipe with a hairdryer.

"Never use a naked flame to defrost a pipe."

The water company said it was responsible for underground pipes but pipes in gardens, homes, or business premises were often the owner's responsibility.

Martyn Hattersley, head of demand management at Yorkshire Water, said:

“We’re watching temperatures closely and keeping an eye on our assets, as we do tend to see more bursts during a steep drop in temperature.

We’ll have leakage inspectors out and about every day, as well as using some of the latest technologies to detect and fix leaks as quickly as possible."

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He encouraged customers to do their bit too to reduce the likelihood of a burst. He added:

"The less leaks, the less water wasted and the more that’s left in our pipes to feed the region. It’ll also save you the inconvenience and cost of a frozen or damaged pipe.”

For more information on how to prepare your home for cold weather, click here.

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Yorkshire Water issues frozen pipes warning as temperature plummets

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