A polar bear was on the loose in Leeds yesterday as Yorkshire Water reminded customers to remember the ‘bear’ essentials this winter to keep their homes winter ready.
An animatronic polar bear called Penny and her specially-created pipe lagging igloo was found inside Trinity Leeds for one day only, where visitors were invited to sign up for a free Winter Ready pack from Yorkshire Water – each sign-up included an entry to win a family ticket to Yorkshire Wildlife Park to see real-life polar bears.
Without lagging, cold temperatures can cause havoc for pipes, with freezing temperatures potentially cutting off a home’s water supply. Pipes, taps, cisterns, tanks, and water meters in unheated areas are all at risk of bursting under freezing temperatures, causing mayhem both in the home and outside, where repairs may need to be made.
Yorkshire Water advises customers to follow these simple steps to keep their homes winter ready:
- Protect all exposed pipe work, cisterns, tanks, taps and water meters in unheated areas with waterproof foam lagging or insulation
- Know where the stop tap is located at the property in case it needs to be turned off in an emergency. The main stop tap is usually found at the point where the pipe work enters the premises, often it is under the kitchen sink
- Make sure you keep a plumber’s number handy in case of an emergency
- Keep homes warm – set central heating on a low heat or a 24-hour constant setting. If going away on holiday tell a neighbour or friend so that they can check to make sure there have been no burst pipes
Neil Dewis, Director of Water Service Delivery at Yorkshire Water, said: “It’s incredibly important to make sure your home is winter ready – the impact of frozen and burst pipes can be disastrous. In addition to the free Winter Ready packs available to every Yorkshire Water customer, we offer a Priority Services Register for customers with additional needs to ensure everyone is well looked-after year-round, not just during the winter months.”
Yorkshire Water’s Priority Services Register is free to join and provides a range of additional support to help make bills and meters more accessible, as well as provide temporary water if water supplies are disrupted.
