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Whilst the weather can not be controlled, there are some steps people can take to keep their homes safe this winter. Direct Line Home Response 24 recommends the following to ensure homes remain in tip top condition during the winter months:

• Insulate your pipes with preformed pipe insulation and replace the washers on any dripping taps – if the taps freeze, the pipe will get blocked.
• Know where your water valves are and learn how to shut them off in case a pipe does burst.
• Have your chimney swept before lighting the first fire of the winter.
• In very cold weather the heating should be on at a low level, or set to come on a couple of times a day. Most modern boilers have a frost protection thermostat, which turns on automatically if the temperature drops to a level that will cause pipes to freeze.
• Open the loft trap door on cold days to let heat in.
• Check your loft insulation is in good condition. Make sure it has not been damaged or disturbed since you last looked at it.