Don’t Wait – Insulate, and Beat Jack Frost this Christmas!

19 December 2016 15:46

‘Don’t let Jack Frost cast a shadow over your Christmas’ is the message to all domestic and non-domestic water users in Northern Ireland.

A winter-themed video is available to view on niwater.com and takes on the timeless ‘Night Before Christmas’ poem; it warns of the misery which frozen and burst water pipes can cause a householder, especially during the Christmas and New Year period.

It is being promoted by NI Water in co-operation with colleagues in WaterSafe, an online register for approved plumbing businesses across the UK.

Sean McAleese, NI Water’s Director of Customer Service Delivery, said: “As the film says `when the plumbing was laid bare to the cold winter breeze, Jack Frost came a-lurking and the pipes started to freeze’.

“We want everyone to have a safe, warm and enjoyable Christmas and New Year period this year, so are urging householders to wrap up their homes as well as their gifts to avoid the expense of emergency plumber call outs, the inconvenience of no water and the expense of mopping up floods.

‘‘While our winters have been relatively mild over the last few years, there is no guarantee that severe winter weather will not return, potentially over the forthcoming holiday season. With this in mind, NI Water is reminding people, very simply – Don’t Wait; Insulate.’’

Top tips for a stress-free festive season include:

• Lag pipes and water tanks – lagging is available from your local DIY store.
• Fix dripping taps. 
• Find your home’s stop tap and make sure you can turn it off. 
• Leave the heating on low if you go away
• Check your central heating boiler has been serviced.
• Keep the name of a plumber handy – type in your postcode at watersafe.org.uk to find your nearest accredited plumbing business or call 0333 207 9030.

The short film, which can be viewed at http://www.niwater.com/videos/ advises: “Take care of your pipes, fix leaking taps too, or winter’s cruel blight, could be coming for you.”

For further advice on information on NI Water’s ongoing ‘Don’t Wait Insulate’ campaign, please visit: https://www.niwater.com/winter-proof-your-home/. Further information can be found at www.watersafe.org.uk  

ENDS

All media enquiries to the NI Water press office on 028 9035 4757 or via email to press.office@niwater.com