Reports of burst pipes in West Lothian rose by 150 per cent during cold snap

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Reports of burst pipes have jumped as high as 150 per cent in areas including West Lothian.Experts believe the figures could be even higher and shared important advice on what to do if your pipes burst following the latest deep freeze.Scottish Water has warned that its network has seen a demand for extra water of up to 100 million litres since last Thursday as a result of broken fixtures.Fortunately, the Met Office has a checklist on how to safely handle a burst pipe, which ranges from draining taps to turning off the water supply at its source.Last week, the UK was plunged into some of the coldest conditions seen in years, with temperatures plummeting to as low as -17C in parts of Scotland.

Over the weekend, the country saw ice patches thaw - and the same is happening in our pipes. The national water supplier has said the shift in conditions has had a "significant impact" on supplies across the country.Kevin Roy, customer service general manager at Scottish Water, said: "On top of the usual daily distribution of water and demand from customers, we've seen an additional 100 million litres a day flowing through the network and unfortunately that's the result of leaks and bursts."The deep freeze has developed into a quick thaw with temperatures on the increase, leaving some pipes cracked.

Some bursts will be very visible and in publicly accessible places, others on private property which is the responsibility of the key holder or owner, and others will be much more challenging to locate."Tips to avoid problems in the future Don't miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier.