Residents are being urged to remain vigilant as adverse weather increases risk to pipes.

Northumbrian Water is urging customers to be vigilant amid an increase in burst pipes due to changing weather conditions.

Freeze and thaw conditions have led to the ground swelling and shifting, leading to a higher risk of underground pipes cracking and leaking.

To handle the situation, Northumbrian Water has increased its ground teams to find and fix these leaks.

The company is also requesting customers' assistance to spot and report any signs of leakage through their online portal or social media.

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Kieran Ingram, water director at Northumbrian Water, said: "Unreported leaks can waste quite a lot of water, and the teams aren’t able to fix leaks they don’t know about, which is why it is so important to tell us so we can carry out repairs."

Northumbrian Water also advised homeowners to safeguard their own pipes from the wintry conditions to avoid expensive repairs and further protect the region’s water supplies.

This can be achieved by lagging exposed pipes in any unheated areas of the home, such as the garage or the loft, covering up outside taps, and locating stopcocks so they are easily accessible to switch the water off in an emergency.

The company is encouraging customers needing extra assistance to sign up to their Priority Services Register.

To report leaks or sign up for priority services, customers can visit the company's website.