Top tips to stay safe from the Met Office

The Met Office runs a year-round campaign called Weather Ready which highlights a number of tasks you can undertake to prepare your home, garden, or business from the winter weather.

Thinking ahead and preparing for what the weather may bring can make a real difference. There are some simple steps you can take to stay safe and healthy at this time of year – from preparing your home or business to taking care of yourself, your family and neighbours.

Whether it's strong winds, heavy rain or extreme cold and snow, there's something you can do to prepare for winter.

Here are their eight top tips

1. Know what to do in a powercut

It's now really simple to get in touch with your Electricity Distribution Network Operator - just call 105. Find out more about what to do in a powercut.

2. Ensure you’re insured

Sometimes no amount of planning and preparation can prevent the weather damaging your property. Buildings insurance offers peace of mind, so ensure your policy is up to date and covers what you need it to.

3. Avoid flying garden furniture

When high winds are forecast, remember that some everyday items in the garden can become 'missiles'. Most winters we see pictures of airborne trampolines and garden furniture.

4. Check your roof

Before it gets windy it's also worth checking for loose tiles, slates and flashing and consider removing dead branches from old trees.

5. Clear your guttering

As leaves start to fall, there’s a risk that wind will blow leaves into your gutters and drainpipes will get filled up. If this builds up, the water will go back into the guttering and leak into the roof and sides of your house.

6. Trim up

To avoid build-up of leaves in the guttering, the best thing to do is to prune your trees before winter really kicks in. This can also help with avoiding snow building up on the trees, which with it brings the risk of damage from broken branches.

7. Don't leave yourself open to frozen and burst pipes

It's important to make sure water pipes and water tanks in the loft are insulated with good quality lagging. This will not only protect from freezing but it will help insulate your hot water system and save you money.

8. Check your flood risk

Check if your home is at risk of flooding, and sign up for free flood warnings at:

The Environment Agency and local authorities share responsibility for providing advice and information to the public during flood emergencies and can be contacted 24 hours a day via a dedicated Floodline number.

Floodline (England, Scotland and Wales): 0345 988 1188