It’s day 2 of our 12 repairs of Christmas series. Avoid frozen pipes by turning the water off!

Locate your stopcock
Water damage from burst water pipes costs homeowners and landlords billions of pounds every year as well as causing misery for homeowners and tenants who have to live through it.

Here is our tip, if you’re going to be away – even just overnight – during the festive period, the best way to protect against the risk of water damage is to shut off the water supply at the mains.

The stopcock is often found under the kitchen sink.  To turn the water off, run the cold water tap in your kitchen and turn the stopcock in a clockwise direction until the water stops running. It’s a good idea to find it and test it out before you go away.  It’s also a good idea for everyone in your household to know where it is in case they need to turn the water off in an emergency.