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NI Water’s Education Team recently visited Harpur’s Hill Primary School in Coleraine to talk to pupils about the importance of protecting water pipes in the home during winter.

Children were shown NI Water’s stop tap tag, a bright yellow tag designed to loop around a stop valve making it easy to find in an emergency. The pupils were asked to bring them home to parents/guardians and encourage them to find their own stop tap, usually found under the kitchen sink.

There are lots of simple things that homes can do to prepare for a cold winter, and there’s no time like the present to get started:

Wrap up pipes and water tanks with lagging – high street DIY stores have everything you need. Fix dripping taps – even a small trickle can result in a frozen pipe.

Pupils from Harpur's Hill PS pictured with the waterbutt and the yellow tags

Find your property’s stop tap and make sure you can turn it off – most are under the kitchen sink. Leave the heating on low if you go away for a winter break.

Check your central heating boiler has been serviced – it should be serviced annually. Keep the name of a plumber handy – type in your postcode at www.watersafe.org.uk to find your nearest accredited plumbing business.

NI Water provided all pupils at the school with reusable water bottles to encourage pupils to refill them with tap water and therefore reduce the amount of single use plastic bottles that could potentially end up polluting our seas. The school also received a waterbutt to enable them to collect rainwater, which can then be used to water plants encouraging pupils to save water and look after the natural environment.

Coleraine pupils learn that ‘Frozen Pipes Can Flood Homes’