Direct Line home insurance is urging households to batten down the hatches and protect their homes from weather damage this winter.

As the weather gets colder, frozen pipes and broken boilers both have the potential to ruin Christmas, but can usually be easily avoided with a few easy precautions, suggest Direct Line.

Andrew Lowe, head of Direct Line home insurance, warns: “Homeowners shouldn’t forget the importance of taking precautions to protect homes against wintry weather.”

There are various things that householders can do to try and avert disaster winter, such as a flooded home resulting from a frozen burst pipe, or a cold Christmas if the boiler packs up.

Direct Line recommends insulating household pipes with preformed pipe insulation and replacing the washers on dripping taps, because if the taps freeze then the pipe will get blocked. Knowing where the water valves are is also important, so that the water can be quickly turned off in case a pipe does burst.

On cold evenings open fires offer a welcome burst of warmth, but these households can help to avoid a fire wrecking Christmas by having their chimney swept before lighting the first fire of the season.

Keeping the heating on a low level all the time can prevent pipes from freezing, and most modern boilers have a frost protection setting which kicks in automatically if the temperature drops below a certain level.

Households with a loft should check their insulation is in good condition, and open the loft door on cold days to let air circulate.

Mr Lowe added: “A few quick and easy jobs undertaken now could prevent damage.”

If something does go wrong, then having emergency cover added onto a home insurance policy can mean the disaster does not have to be a financial one.

© Fair Investment Company Ltd

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