Cold weather advice from Sheffield broker as South Yorkshire braces itself for wintery weather

3rd December 2021

Cold weather advice for local business and homeowners

Cold weather advice from Sheffield broker as South Yorkshire braces itself for wintery weather

With winter fast approaching, Sheffield chartered broker IFM Insurance is reminding local businesses and householders to make sure that they are ‘winter fit’ to withstand any bad winter weather.  The risk of expensive, disruptive and distressing damage can easily be reduced by taking a few simple steps now, before the cold weather sets in, such as:

• Make sure that water pipes and water tanks are insulated with good quality lagging.
• Know where your stopcock that turns off the incoming water supply is, and make sure that it works. One in six people admit that they do not know where their stopcock is.
• Repair any dripping taps. This will help prevent water from freezing.
• Ensure you have a business continuity plan. You don’t want your customers going to your competitors if you are unable to open for an extended period due to bad weather.

Once the cold weather arrives:

• Leave any loft door open to allow heated air to circulate
• Leave heating on at a low setting to help heat pipes, especially if you are away from the home or the business premises for a period of time.

Alister Smith, Director of IFM Insurance said,

“With wintery weather forecast for South Yorkshire now is the time for homeowners and businesses to take a few simple steps to reduce the risk of facing the trauma of frozen or burst pipes this winter. Home insurance will pay for the often considerable damage caused by burst pipes, but it cannot compensate for the misery and inconvenience that they bring.”