Brits are poised for snow and ice chaos over the next four days as weather warnings kick-in for many. The Met Office is warning of flurries and plunging temperatures affecting nearly all regions – with weather warnings in place from today (January 2) until Monday, January 6. Forecasters say the sub-zero mercury, high winds and snow could hit 12 regions across Scotland, Northern Island, and England – including Yorkshire & The Humber and the North West.
All of England has also been plunged into a rare amber cold health alert, something which is activated when temperature thresholds are set to fall drastically, putting the vulnerable population at risk. It’s therefore essential you keep the house warm during this period to prevent a whole host of issues; The World Health Organisation recommends an indoor temperature of 18C – or 20C for the disabled, very old, sick people and very young. Not only can being too frugal with the heating invite mould and mildew into the house, it can also result in frozen pipes. This can be costly to repair and can wreck havoc on your home. So, here’s exact what to do if you run into trouble…
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“If you spot that one of your pipes might be frozen, turn off your inside stop tap immediately,” the Met Office states. “It’s usually located under the kitchen sink, but can also be found in downstairs bathrooms, kitchen cupboards, garages, cellars and under the stairs. Open all your taps to drain the system as quickly as possible, saving some water in a bucket, if you can, for flushing toilets and hand washing. When the water stops running, turn all the taps off.”
Mop away any excess water with towels to prevent any further damage, and call a plumber. It’s important to make sure they’re a WaterSafe contractor, which you can double check here. If water has leaked near your electrics, do not touch them and quickly turn them off at the fuse box.
To prevent frozen taps, it’s worth checking your stop tap every six months to know it’s working properly. If you’re away during the winter, make sure to keep the heating on low and get a relative or friend to check inside the home every now and then. It’s also good practice to insulate pipes in areas likely to be impacted most by the cold weather – such as in your roof or loft.
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Yellow weather warnings for Ice
Central, Tayside & Fife
- Stirling
Highlands & Eilean Siar
- Na h-Eileanan Siar
- Highland
North West England
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Cumbria
- Greater Manchester
- Lancashire
Northern Ireland
- County Antrim
- County Armagh
- County Down
- County Londonderry
- County Tyrone
SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
- Dumfries and Galloway
Strathclyde
- Argyll and Bute
- East Ayrshire
- East Dunbartonshire
- East Renfrewshire
- Glasgow
- Inverclyde
- North Ayrshire
- North Lanarkshire
- Renfrewshire
- South Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
- West Dunbartonshire
Yorkshire & Humber
- North Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire
Yellow weather warning for snow and ice
Central, Tayside & Fife
- Angus
- Perth and Kinross
Grampian
- Aberdeen
- Aberdeenshire
- Moray
Highlands & Eilean Siar
- Highland
Orkney & Shetland
- Orkney Islands
- Shetland Islands
Strathclyde
- Argyll and Bute
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