Winter at home

Direct heat i.e. hair dryers should not be used as this can result in pipes cracking. Pouring boiling water down the drain may melt the blockage enough for it to move down the pipe. if possible keep heating on 24hrs on a low setting to keep hot air circulating throughout the property and where possible open loft hatches.

To report repairs to council houses telephone please visit Housing Repairs.

During periods of extreme cold, Building Services will not attend to any council house repairs for frozen pipes except for soil stack pipes (toilet waste).

If you own any property, check out the "protect your pipes" information on the Scottish Water website at www.scottishwater.co.uk/winter - heat, insulate and protect.

Here are some links to useful videos from Scottish Water on How to find your stop valve, How to insulate your pipes and What to do if you have a frozen pipe.

In the winter months, all of the empty Council properties have their heating systems drained to prevent frozen pipes and leaks.  If, however, you do experience any difficulties these should be reported in the normal manner by visiting our Housing Repairs page.

When an owner-occupied house has a fault in severe weather the Council does not have a right of access even in an emergency.  Every effort should be made to contact the owner or landlord to remedy the problem.

In very extreme circumstances where entry is required to a private property in an emergency to remedy a problem affecting a Fife Council tenant, the relevant authority should be contacted to deal with the problem e.g.

• Suspected gas leak – pass to National Gas Emergency Service
• Burst water tank or serious pipe leak – pass to Scottish Water to locate the stopcock to turn off the water to that property
• Any other sort of danger to the lives of those involved – pass to the Police or Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

To report repairs to council houses telephone please visit Housing Repairs.

Every effort will be made to attend tenants reporting a loss of heating, however in cases of extreme weather this may take some time.  Tenants may wish to invest in other forms of heating in the event that the weather prevents attendance.

To report repairs to council houses telephone please visit Housing Repairs.

If all the rhones have collapsed under the weight of snow then there is no immediate risk.  These will be repaired when the weather improves and when it is safe to undertake the work.   If there are sections still in place tenants are advised to stay away from the remaining areas in case the rest collapses.