People in the East urged to check plumbing to avoid burst pipes amidst freezing weather
Anglian Water are focusing on prevention to avoid burst pipes and high bills
Last updated 16th Dec 2022
We're being urged to ensure our plumbing is safe and up-to-scratch as the East faces freezing temperatures for the second day in a row.
The Met Office is predicting record-breaking low temperatures after it dropped to around minus 15-degrees Celsius in parts of the country overnight, but forecasters think it could dip even lower tonight.
The East is covered by yellow warnings of ice today - meaning potential travel delays and some school closures.
As temperatures plummet and people turn to their heating, Anglian Water is asking people to take steps to ensure household plumbing is fully functional, and to reduce the risk of damage this winter.
Sarah McGee, from Anglian Water, told us more about what we should look out for: "We need to be really aware about our pipes in this weather because cold temperatures and particularly when they plummet so quickly, can cause waters water in the pipes to freeze.
"Then as the weather starts soaring a little bit, the pipes then explode, crack and burst.
"They can cause flooding inside and outside your house and obviously in all that you then have the misery of being without water."
What can we do to make sure this doesn't happen?
Sarah told us what steps we can take to ensure our homes are well prepared: "You need to check your boilers are serviced regularly, your radiators are bled and make sure you find the name of a good plumber, now!
"What we're recommending people to do, and I'm definitely doing, is looking at prevention because if your pipes go, it can lead to thousands of pounds worth of damage.
"At the moment with the cost of living crisis, none of us need that. So think about keeping your pipes safe."
"We ask people to do an audit of their house if they can. Check your taps. Check that none of them are dripping - if they are, then get them fixed.
"Find where your 'stop tap' is - it's normally under your sink - and make sure you can turn it off because if the water pipes burst, you're going to need to turn the water off really quickly.
"We talk about lagging pipes, so that's outside pipes outside your house, try wrapping them up with tea towels or old towels or old sheets or something just to try and keep them warm.
"The idea is to try and stop the water freezing in the pipes. Because when the water freezes and then unfreezes, that's when pipes tend to break and can lead to flooding and all kinds of problems."