The ‘Beast from the East’ has Yorkshire in its grip – but help is at hand from an unlikely source – a hairdryer.

Temperatures are regularly dropping below zero while snow continues to fall, causing travel chaos, school closures, and, in particular in West and South Yorkshire, frozen pipes.

However, Yorkshire Water’s head of service delivery, Neil Dewis, explains: “Freezing conditions often lead to our customers struggling with frozen pipes.

“To fix a frozen pipe, turn off your stop tap and check for dripping water.

“If there are no leaks then turn your stop tap back on and open a kitchen tap to allow melting water to flow out.

“Find the frozen pipe and use a hairdryer to gently melt the ice. Never, ever, use a naked flame.”

The company says prevention is always better than cure, however, and customers are advised to take some simple steps to make their homes winter-ready to help prevent frozen pipes and leaks:

* Protect all exposed pipe work, cisterns, tanks, taps and water meters in unheated areas with waterproof foam lagging or insulation

* Know where the stop tap is located at the property in case it needs to be turned off in an emergency. The main stop tap is usually found at the point where the pipe work enters the premises, often it is under the kitchen sink

* Make sure you keep a plumber’s number handy in case of an emergency

* Keep homes warm - set central heating on a low heat or a 24-hour constant setting. If going away on holiday tell a neighbour or friend so that they can check to make sure there have been no burst pipes.

Watch the video at: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3jh_v7h-9w&feature=youtu.be