Frozen pipes prompt 220% rise in calls to Severn Trent

An increase of 220% in calls has been reported to Severn Trent's service centre, with the majority being about frozen pipes.



The water firm said after revealing the rise, which applies to Sunday, Monday and part of Tuesday, that people must wait until pipes thaw naturally.

The service centre took 2,500 calls in the hours from midnight up to 0930 GMT on Tuesday.

This compares to 1,700 throughout a busy day in non-wintry conditions.

The company advised customers that if their water pipes have frozen, they should not call Severn Trent.

Senior operations manager Fraser Pithie added: "Unfortunately we're not able to do anything to help you restore your water supply.

"We do need to be able to deal with calls about our water mains and sewerage networks, so we can respond and restore service where it may have failed.

"If your neighbours' supplies are unaffected, it is most likely that your internal water pipes are frozen."