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‘£50 million of damage a year’ caused by burst pipes

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20-01-2022

Just before Christmas, our Wembley, Surbiton and Reigate plumbers at PGS Plumbers advised on this blog on how to help minimise the risk of burst pipes at your property in London or elsewhere in the South East. Our tips included getting your pipes insulated, ensuring you run the taps in your home from time to time, and making sure your property maintains a certain level of warmth. 

But what if you do suffer from a burst pipe at your abode – how costly can it be? Well, some new figures on this have been released by a leading home insurer, and they don’t make for the prettiest reading. 

January and February pose an especially high risk of pipes bursting 

Yes, if there’s a time of year when you ought to be particularly vigilant with regard to any potential issues with your pipes, it is probably right now. That’s because the analysis found January and February to be the worst months for burst-pipe incidents, nearly a quarter (23%) of households that made home insurance claims for burst or blocked pipes doing so during these two months.

Approximately 2,650 pipes burst around the UK last year, resulting in almost £50 million of costs for repairs and remedial work. 

With those two months being among the coldest of the year, such stark figures should be no great surprise. Last winter, however, was especially tough for many UK households, as temperatures across the country plummeted by a third (32%) compared to the previous winter. In fact, the average temperature recorded during January – 2.2 degrees C – was the coldest seen during that month since 2010. 

Such chilly weather simply placed even further strain on the nation’s plumbing systems, resulting in the average number of claims for burst pipes being 51% higher in January and February than was the case during the rest of the year. 

Don’t heighten the risk of the worst happening!

As we touched on above, we have already recently provided tips to help you lower the chances of having to call out Chiswick, Croydon or Reigate plumbers to deal with any burst pipes at your property. 

But if there’s something else that can cause havoc with your plumbing systems, it’s flushing items down sinks and drains that you shouldn’t – which is something a whopping 70% of us (37 million people) have admitted to doing. 

When it comes to the items that most frequently cause a blocked pipe, wet wipes topped the home insurer’s ranking, at 32%. They were followed in the rundown by sanitary products (14%), excess toilet roll (10%), fat and grease (9%), and hair (8%). 

So, you get the message – burst pipes and other plumbing problems can be a particular worry for homeowners around London and South East England at this time of year, but there are also certain steps you can take to reduce your risk. 

However, if any dreaded plumbing problem such as a burst pipe, blockage or water leak does happen at your home, don’t worry too much! Instead, simply get in touch with our skilled and seasoned professionals at PGS Plumbers, so that we can resolve the issue for you to the highest standard, and for the right price. 

 

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