Although you’re probably counting down the days until spring, winter may have some surprises for us yet. From storms to cold snaps, here’s what you can do to protect your home, how we’re staying prepared – and where you can get extra support if you’d struggle in a winter emergency. 

Bracing for stormy weather

We’ve already seen weather warnings as the South East braced itself for strong winds and heavy rain.

During a storm, flooding’s more likely. As well as carrying water from your taps, bathroom and dishwasher, many of our sewers carry rainwater from roofs and driveways to help prevent flooding. But if too much rain falls too quickly, sometimes our sewers can’t carry it away fast enough and water can back up. Blockages can also cause floods, so please check your drains for leaves or anything else that could stop rainwater flowing away.

If you discovered a flood, would you know who to tell? Who’s responsible for dealing with floods depends on where the flood is. While keeping flows from things like kitchens, bathrooms, roofs and driveways moving is our priority, other agencies are responsible for places like rivers or highways. Here’s our advice on what to do if you suffer flooding.

On track for a cold snap?

Cold snaps can lead to burst pipes, bust boilers and bruised bank balances. That’s why winter-readying your home is important. Spring may be around the corner, but a winter emergency could still take you by surprise.

Here are three things you can do today to protect your home:

Find your stop tap – Would you know how to turn off your home’s water in an emergency? Get to know your stop tap. It’s usually found under the sink or stairs. Find your stop tap and check it’s working, so you know what to do in a crisis.

Fix dripping taps – If you have a dripping tap, your pipes have more risk of freezing. After all, even a dribble can freeze inside. Fortunately, you can usually fix a dripping tap simply and cheaply by changing the washer.

Leave your heating on low – If you’re going away, protect your pipes from freezing by turning your heating to a low level or scheduling it to switch on for an hour in the morning and afternoon while you’re gone.

These are just some of the simple things you can do to protect your home this winter.

How we’re preparing

During the recent storms, our teams have been working around the clock to keep taps and toilets flowing.

Our Winter Mitigation Action Plan sets out how to prepare for challenging weather, along with daily actions we take to keep on top of the risks. During the colder months, we boost the number of people working across our network so we can rapidly respond to incidents. We gear them up with extra equipment too – including 4x4s and winter gear – so we’re ready to tackle whatever winter has left to throw at us.

We also work closely with power companies, local authorities and the emergency services to make sure emergency response plans are in place to prevent disruption to you.

Need a little extra support? 

If you’re concerned how you or someone you know would cope if your water supply was disrupted during challenging weather, we’re here to help.

Our Priority Services Register is a confidential list of customers with individual needs, so our staff know how best to support them and who to prioritise in an emergency. Put your mind at ease by applying for you or a loved one to be added to our Priority Services Register.

Remember, our emergency line is available 24-hours a day. If you’ve got no water, spotted a burst in a public place, or seen a blocked and flooding sewer that needs urgent attention, please call 0330 303 0368 – calls charged at local rates.