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Fire service offers Flood advice
With the current icy temperatures having caused water pipes in homes and businesses to freeze, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service are anticipating a further increase in calls of flooding in properties as conditions start to improve. During the last week they have attended over 75* emergency calls to flooding related incidents in homes, even though temperatures have remained below zero, this is over 7** times the number of calls received during the previous week. A number of commercial premises have also been affected by flooding. People should be aware that freezing water expands and may break pipes, which when thawed will then start to leak, therefore the longer pipes are frozen the greater chance of damage to homes and properties when the thaw comes. Thawing water pipes can take some time, but it is possible to help yourself. Here's how. First, locate your main stop tap. It is usually under the kitchen sink or in a utility room closest to where the water supply enters your property. Apply a hot water bottle to the pipe or use a hairdryer in short bursts. Open the tap nearest to the part of the pipe you think is frozen so the water can flow through when it has melted. You should never use a naked flame near the pipes. Contact a reputable plumber if you find a leak. Only call the Fire and Rescue Service in an emergency. County Fire Officer Steve McGuirk said, “When the thaw comes it is important that in the event of a water burst within a property, people seek assistance from the correct service. If a flooding occurs which places life at risk then the Fire and Rescue Service will respond to the emergency. When there is no risk to life it is usually the responsibility of the owner of the property to obtain the services of specialist trades people”. * 75 emergency calls to flooding incidents 4/01/2010 – 11/01/2010 ** 9 emergency calls to flooding incidents 28/12/2009 – 3/01/2010
For Flood and Fire Safety advice during the winter period and links to Local Authority websites visit click here Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account. Got a news story? Need help with publicity for an event in Salford? Send it to newsdesk@salfordonline.com or call the SalfordOnline newsdesk on 0161 789 5377. |
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