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• Keeping warm in winter - advice and support >
• Protecting your home in winter >

Protecting your home in winter

Frozen or burst pipes

Council tenants should call 0845 277 7000 for advice and assistance or refer to our Beat the Freeze leaflet.

Scottish Water advice on protecting your home

Scottish Water's website offers a series of online films on how to locate your stop valve, insulation and what to do if a pipe bursts or freezes. See their page on how to protect your pipes.

Icicles

Check your property for large icicles and heavy hanging snow drifts which are forming on gutters and roofs as a result of the severe weather conditions. Icicles and heavy snow on roofs and gutters can present a risk to residents and pedestrians walking outside buildings and it is the property owner's responsibility to ensure these are removed.

In an emergency situation any member of the public with a safety concern should get in touch with Fire and Rescue Services, but please remember that they are already busy and should only be called in emergencies. If possible, and it is safe to do so, property owners should do the work themselves. Alternatively they should hire a contractor in a bid to avoid potentially serious accidents.

Members of the public are asked to take all reasonable steps to keep clear from the external perimeters of buildings to avoid any injury from falling icicles, sliding snow or weather damaged gutters. Alternative routes and paths should be used to avoid building perimeters if this is possible. If it is not possible to remove icicles and hanging snow from above doorways, then an alternative entrance should be used if one is available.

Public services will continue to provide emergency help where they can, but the responsibility lies with the property owner. Resources are also already stretched with responding to the extreme weather conditions on the ground, and getting ready for a prolonged period of low temperatures and heavy snowfall. Members of the public are asked to take a practical, proactive and common sense approach to this issue.

Tenants should contact their landlord to report any problems. Property owners should also seek advice from their insurer on how to tackle the problem.

Council tenants

If you're a Council tenant and you're going away, the Council can drain down your heating system free of charge.

Further information

How to keep warm in winter