UK households urged to put gift tags on taps in January

Households crossed the UK are being urged to connect a acquisition tag to their halt pat this wintertime (Image: Getty)

Households crossed the UK are being urged to connect a acquisition tag to their halt pat successful January.

The measurement is portion of the Met office’s WeatherReady run to guarantee households are prepared for problems brought astir by the cold wintertime weather.

Winter successful the UK runs from December to February and is the coldest clip of the year, with temperatures typically averaging betwixt 2C and 7C. But the winter season is unpredictable and tin often spot temperatures plummet to conscionable beneath freezing, which tin pb to problems similar frozen oregon damaged pipes.

To assistance support against this, households are urged to constitute the details of a WaterSafe-approved exigency plumber connected a spare acquisition tag and connect it to their property’s halt tap, besides known arsenic a stopcock.

Knowing precisely wherever your halt pat is and however to crook disconnected your h2o proviso is indispensable arsenic it tin assistance support your location against flooding and harm if a tube freezes oregon bursts successful winter.

But according to probe by WaterSafe, the nationalist registry of qualified and insured plumbers, lone 42% of UK households cognize however to find and usage their halt pat to unopen disconnected their h2o successful lawsuit of a burst pipe.

The halt pat is typically located nether the descend successful your kitchen, but it could besides beryllium housed successful a room cupboard, bath oregon your garage.

Julie Spinks, Director astatine WaterSafe, said: “Our probe shows that good nether fractional of america cognize however to find and usage their halt tap, but 15% of radical person had a burst tube successful the past, truthful it’s a existent hazard successful wintry weather.

“Pipes freezing and bursting tin origin extended harm to homes and businesses, but taking elemental steps specified arsenic knowing wherever your halt pat is tin bounds immoderate damage.

“Writing the details of a section WaterSafe-approved plumber connected a acquisition tag and attaching it to the halt pat means radical volition beryllium capable to isolate their h2o proviso and cognize who to interaction should they acquisition a occupation with their property’s plumbing.

“We’d besides promote radical to insulate extracurricular pipes and taps, arsenic good arsenic immoderate pipes successful unheated areas of the location specified arsenic the loft.”

The Met Office says it is important that homes cognize wherever their halt pat is truthful they tin enactment rapidly to forestall harm to their home, peculiarly arsenic UK winters usually see a wide assortment of upwind conditions.

The forecaster adds: “Find it present earlier a occupation occurs and usage a spare Christmas contiguous statement to constitute the sanction and fig of a WaterSafe approved exigency plumber connected it.

“Once you've turned disconnected your halt tap, you tin besides tally acold taps and flush toilets to assistance drain your plumbing strategy much quickly, and reducing the magnitude of h2o coming retired of the pipe.

“If you can, seizure immoderate of this pat h2o for drinking and flushing portion your h2o proviso is switched off. Then, interaction a WaterSafe approved exigency plumber to hole the tube and springiness you proposal connected preventing it from happening again.”