Storms and Extreme Weather.

Be prepared

As winter sets in, you should prepare your home for the unpredictable winter weather. It's best to keep up-to-date with the weather where you live, so to help you prepare for severe weather conditions, below you will find a widget which presents you with a 5-day weather forecast provided by the Met Office. It is currently defaulted to show the weather for London, but you can change this by clicking on the 'Options' link in the bottom right of the widget allowing you to enter a town, city or the first half of a UK postcode.

This Weather Widget is provided by the Met Office

 

Storms

Prepare for the stormy weather by:

• checking your drains and gutters and clearing any leaves or debris blocking them.
• cutting back nearby trees to minimise the risk of falling branches damaging your home.
• asking a builder to check the condition of your roof so that missing or loose tiles can be attended to.

Cold weather

As the bad weather approaches, remember to carry out your annual checks.

• Find your main stopcock and make sure you can turn it on and off.
• Fully lag all accessible pipes and tanks in the loft space or anywhere else, which are liable to freeze.
• Repair any dripping taps.
• Use loft insulation on top of the pipes, not underneath them.
• Check the loft insulation is in good condition and thick enough.

If your home is empty this winter:

• Ask a friend or relative to check on your home.
• Open the door to the loft to allow warm air to circulate in the loft.
• We recommend that you should try and maintain a minimum temperature of 12°C.

Whatever you're doing this winter, be prepared!

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