Extra Northumbrian Water teams deployed to fix leaks in the North East after wintry conditions

Over the past two weeks, the region has seen a mix of freezing cold weather, followed by milder temperatures and rain – conditions that cause the ground to swell and move, leading to higher risk of underground pipework cracking and leaking.

Reports of leaks have increased recently and so extra teams of water workers are out in communities working to try and find and fix any problems.

They are also asking people to help the teams keep the water flowing by contacting them and reporting any leaks or bursts that they see. This can be done via www.nwl.co.uk/report-a-problem or social media.

Kieran Ingram, water director at Northumbrian Water, said: “It’s typical that through December and January, we see an increase in leaks and bursts due to plummeting temperatures – which is why we always plan to have additional people on the ground to keep the water flowing for everyone.

“Our teams have been working incredibly hard to ensure that everyone in the North East can continue to have the heating on, hot showers and, most importantly, the kettle filled.

“However, we can’t fix leaks that we don’t know about, so we would like to encourage anyone who has spotted a leak locally to report it to us so we can get it repaired and save water.”

Lagging exposed pipes in any unheated areas of the home and covering up outside taps are among the ways that homeowners can ensure that their own pipework is protected from the wintry conditions.