Langdale and Fylingdales area wildfire
You can find the latest information about the wildfire in the Langdale and Fylingdales area near Scarborough and Whitby on our Langdale and Fylingdales area wildfire page.
Information about burst or frozen pipes, and condensation and mould.
How to prevent burst and frozen pipes
There are steps you can take to avoid the misery and damage caused by burst pipes during extreme cold weather.
You should:
- keep your home warm, especially at night
- run taps and flush toilets to check that pipes are not frozen
- know where your stop tap is and make sure you can easily turn it off
- make sure you can turn off the gate valves for hot and cold water tanks
- consider draining the whole water system down if you are leaving your home unoccupied for a long time
- leave a spare key with a neighbour in case an emergency occurs while you are away from home, if you live in a flat or maisonette (flooding from one flat to another can cause damage)
What to do if you suffer a frozen or burst pipe
Frozen pipes:
- turn off the water at the stop tap
- switch off the central heating
- switch off the immersion or gas water heating
- try to thaw a frozen pipe gently with a hairdryer or fan heater, or by wrapping a hot water bottle around the pipe
Burst pipes:
- turn off the water at the stop tap
- turn off the immersion or gas water heating
- turn on the sink, bathroom or kitchen taps to drain water from the system
- do not touch any electrical fittings
- turn off the electricity at the mains fuse board
Request a repair
You can request a repair online.
How mould issues start
Condensation starts as moisture that is produced by cooking, taking a bath, having a shower or drying clothes indoors. The moist air can condense in unheated bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens or other rooms on cold walls, ceilings or floors and then forms mould.
How to avoid condensation
Our top tips to avoid condensation are:
- cover pans when cooking and switch off kettle once they have boiled
- don not use portable bottle gas heaters – the gas produces a lot of moisture
- dry washing outdoors on a line, or use a drying rack in well-ventilated rooms
- vent your tumble driers on the outside, unless it is a self-condensing type
- wipe down surfaces where moisture settles to prevent mould forming
- when you use your bathroom and kitchen close the room door and switch on the extractor fan, if one is fitted, or open the window so that steam can escape
- open windows in each room for a while each day to allow a change of air
- make sure permanent ventilators are not blocked
- leave a space between the back of wardrobes and walls to allow air circulation. Where possible, position wardrobes and furniture against internal walls
- keep your home warm and take steps to reduce heat loss. In cold weather, keep low background heating on all day, or as much as possible
First steps against mould
You can start by:
- dealing with the basic problems of condensation
- killing and removing mould, wiping down affected areas with fungicidal wash, available from DIY stores - following the manufacturer's instructions
- redecorating using a good-quality fungicidal paint to help prevent mould recurring after treatment