PREPARE your home for the ravages of winter.

Wessex Water is urging people to protect their homes from winter plumbing emergencies by insulating pipework, checking the stop tap works and getting their central heating checked on a regular basis.

Between Christmas and New Year last year the water company took 6,000 calls from Dorset residents reporting problems like pipes bursting or freezing as the temperatures plummeted.

Nigel Martin, head of water supply, pictured, said: “Many of the bursts experienced last winter in Dorset were on external private supply pipework and internal plumbing that wasn’t protected from the extreme cold.

“Worryingly there were some customers that had a burst pipe and didn’t know where their stop tap was located which meant that they were unable to turn off their water which led to flooding within their home. Others found that their stop taps had seized up.”

Internal stop taps are normally found in the kitchen.

The water company is urging people to fix any dripping taps or overflows, ensure pipes in cold areas are insulated and to keep pipe lagging dry inside and use waterproof insulation outside.

They also recommend that people consider leaving heating on low if they are going away and turning off the stop tap.

For further information visit wessexwater.co.uk/frost. Alternatively you can request a cold weather advice leaflet by calling Wessex Water on 0845 6004600.