Call for Customers to Help Trace Leaks as Engineers Work to Maintain Supplies

“We are asking customers to check around their own homes, and any other properties they look after, in order to isolate and repair any burst pipes. This will minimise damage and assist us with maintaining supplies for customers across the area.”

Scottish Water

Scottish Water teams are working hard to trace and repair leaks in networks across the country, following last week’s extreme low temperatures and the thaw now under way.
 
While local response teams continue working to maintain normal service for customers wherever possible, they are appealing for customers and landowners to help in locating leaks, whether on the public water network or in private plumbing.
 
They are reminding householders and businesses to ensure water pipes on their property are checked and protected to prevent burst pipes and flooding in freezing temperatures and reduce the risk of damage to properties and contents.

Checking Pipes

And they are particularly asking customers to check any empty properties, holiday homes, out houses, field troughs or garden taps to identify where there may be any burst pipes.
 
A spokesperson for Scottish Water said: “We are hugely grateful to customers for their patience and understanding while our teams have been working around the clock to maintain and restore water supplies in recent days.
 
“We are continuing to see very high demand for water in many areas, arising from the impacts of the weather on pipes, which has potential to impact upon customer supplies. 

“We are doing all we can to locate bursts on the public network and keep drinking water storage tanks replenished, including bringing in extra water via road tanker where possible.
 
“Our teams are targeting the areas with highest flows in order to find and repair any bursts or leaks. Any support landowners or members of the public can give us with locating issues is appreciated. 

“We would also ask customers to check around their own homes, and any other properties they look after, in order to isolate and repair any burst pipes. This will minimise damage and assist us with maintaining supplies for customers across the area.”

Reporting Leaks

Where customers are aware of leaks or bursts on the public water network, they are asked to contact Scottish Water with as much detail of the location as possible. 

Issues can be reported via the online reporting portal on Scottish Water’s website at www.scottishwater.co.uk, via its facebook or twitter pages, or by calling 0800 077 8778.

Top Tips

Four key things customers can do to minimise the risk of bursts linked to spells of freezing weather, followed by thaw, are:

• Check: Check any pipework for leaks, particularly if the building is not permanently inhabited. If you are not living or working in the property, make sure you or someone else can check regularly for any problems.
• Heat: Warmth offers the best protection against frozen pipes, so when temperatures are low leave your heating on a low setting, or set it to come on a couple of times a day.
• Insulate: Pipes don’t like the cold – whether they are outdoor or indoor, metal or plastic, new or old. Making sure pipes and water tanks are properly insulated is one of the simplest, and cheapest, things which can be done to help protect properties from the cold. Make sure that there are no gaps at bends, valves or fitting, and that you use a suitable insulation material.
• Protect: Dripping water increases the risk of freezing, so have any drips or leaks at taps or valves repaired as soon as you discover them and reduce draughts by fitting draught excluders to doors and windows.  Even when your home or property is winter ready sometimes damages can happen, so make sure you have adequate buildings and content insurance. 

If your home or property is going to be vacant over the winter months, turn off your water supply and drain the system. A licensed plumber will be able to give advice about this. 
If your home or property has been vacant over the winter months and has not been visited or insulated, it may be worthwhile checking this to ensure there are no bursts. We encourage this on the basis that your property is local and that checking it does not breach current Covid-19 guidelines.