The ice cometh, give frozen pipes the cold shoulder

United Utilities' John Williams, John Doyle, Darren Sutch and Gary McConville with one of their 2012 fleet of weather-beating winter vehicles

As temperatures plunge, water bosses are revving up for winter with a fleet of new ice-beating tankers and vehicles.

But engineers at United Utilities are worried that some North West householders are not so well-prepared.

The company has bought 37 extra four-wheel drive vans, to add to its winter fleet of tankers, support vehicles and temperature-controlled trailers to protect its 40,000km network of mains from ice and bursts this winter.

But a third of the region's householders may be clueless about how to stop their own pipes freezing, according to a new YouGov report by the Consumer Council for Water*.

Help is at hand. United Utilities Winter Wise road show is touring DIY stores and supermarkets across the North West until Christmas, giving away more than 100,000 advice packs.

Here are United Utilities' top tips to beat the bursts this winter: 

• lag your pipes so they are much less likely to freeze and cut off your water
• find and label your stop tap so that you know exactly where to switch the water off if you get a burst pipe
• make sure you already know the number of a good plumber

Emergency plant manager Colin McDermott said: "We're working hard to keep our huge network of pipes flowing smoothly no matter how low the temperature drops. We want to make sure people at home know how to do the same."

Barbara Leech, policy manager, at the Consumer Council for Water added: "Consumers should take advantage of the free pack that United Utilities is offering and follow the advice given. Action now could avoid disruption to homes and businesses from frozen or burst pipes when the cold weather takes a hold."