Notts houses take action to combat the cold

As snow is expected across the region, householders in Nottinghamshire are being warned to take action to ensure their homes stay warm this winter.

British Gas is forecasting an increase in calls to its customer services team and its engineers are set to visit more than 1,700 homes in the East Midlands, as boiler breakdowns and problems with appliances surge during the cold weather.

Nationally, British Gas will deploy its fleet of more than 8,000 engineers to homes that might be experiencing difficulties.

Engineer Adam Connop said: “With snow setting in over the next few days, we’re expecting an increase in call outs to residents to fix broken boilers and appliances.

“We’re on hand to support families with home emergencies but before the cold weather sets in residents can do some simple practical checks around the home to avoid a winter disaster.”

Top tips for householders include bleeding your radiators to make sure they are working properly, at the right pressure and top up as necessary, blocking breezes by making sure all of your windows and doors seal properly to stop warm air escaping and getting a carbon monoxide alarm fitted and test it regularly.

Residents are also advised to make sure their boiler is working properly, wrap up their water tank and insulate pipes.

Last winter, British Gas fixed more than 1.3 million boilers and made nearly 250,000 visits to fix problems with white goods and electrics in the home. During the same period, the company fixed almost 11,000 commercial boilers for small to medium-sized businesses.

See www.britishgas.co.uk