Guide
Jobs to do before winter in an Oxfordshire home
Short answer
Before winter, clear gutters and gullies, find your stop tap and lag pipes in cold spaces. If you live near the Thames or another river, sign up for free flood warnings. In the country, check any ditch along your boundary, because the landowner usually maintains it. Then fix draughts, fences and loose gates.
Gutters, gullies and drains
Clear gutters once most leaves have fallen, often in November. Clear the gully at the foot of each downpipe too.
Thames Water says you are responsible for gutters, gullies and drains inside your boundary that serve only your home. Where your drain joins a neighbour’s, Thames Water owns the shared part.
Ditches and flood risk
Oxfordshire County Council says highways are not normally responsible for ditches beside roads. The landowner next to the ditch usually is. A clear ditch carries water away from roads and homes.
Check the long term flood risk for your address on GOV.UK. If it is at risk from a river, sign up for the free Environment Agency flood warnings.
Report a blocked road gully to the county council. Do not try to clear one in the road yourself.
Pipes and the stop tap
Find your stop tap now. Thames Water says it is usually under the kitchen sink, and it turns clockwise to close.
Thames Water says pipes in lofts, garages, utility rooms and along cold outside walls freeze most easily. So do pipes to outside taps.
- Lag pipes and tanks in the loft and other unheated spaces.
- Insulate outside taps and garden pipes.
- Fix dripping taps, because a slow drip can freeze in a cold pipe.
- Check that your home insurance covers burst pipes.
Doors, windows and draughts
Fit draught strips where doors and windows rattle. Keep trickle vents and air bricks open, because a home needs some air to stay dry.
Check that each door locks easily. A door that drops or sticks often needs only new hinge screws or a small adjustment.
Fences, gates and paths
Winter gales find weak fence posts. Push each post gently, and replace any that move at the base.
Clear moss and leaves from paths and steps, which turn slippery in frost.
Safety checks for a registered trade
Book a boiler service before the cold weather, with a Gas Safe registered engineer. Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
A handyman can do most jobs on this page. For a ladder job, HSE says a ladder suits only short, low-risk work.
Questions
What do I do if a pipe freezes?
Turn off the water at the stop tap and open the cold taps. Thames Water says to thaw the pipe gently, for example with a wrapped hot water bottle, starting nearest the tap. Never use a flame.
Who clears the ditch outside my house?
Usually the landowner next to it. Oxfordshire County Council says highways are not normally responsible for ditches alongside roads. The council can help find the riparian owner.
Who fixes a blocked shared drain?
Thames Water says it owns the part of a drain that serves more than one home. You are responsible for drains that serve only your home, inside your boundary.