North East Water

North East Water is urging customers across the region to cover their water meters as the frosty weather returns.

In past years, the Corporation has been contacted by customers whose meters have seized up or burst in the sub-zero temperatures, causing a lack of household water.

Executive Manager Business Services, John Morris, said staff can spend significant hours replacing the broken meters.

“Because the meter is the exposed part of your household plumbing, it’s the most susceptible to freezing up when the weather gets frosty,” he said.

“The best way to avoid this happening is to cover the meter with a hessian bag, a towel, a blanket, or even half an old tyre to insulate it from the frost.

“Customers just need to make sure that in protecting their meter that whatever they use can be easily removed by our meter readers.”

Mr Morris said many of the bursts had also occurred when people had tried to defrost their meters using boiling water.

“The best way to deal with a frozen meter is to pour lukewarm water onto it,” he said.

“However it’s better to avoid the situation altogether and protect the device from the frost.”