Ceiling collapses in High Wycombe house flood (From Bucks Free Press)

Frozen pipe bursts, causing flooding and a ceiling collapse in High Wycombe house

5:52pm Saturday 4th February 2012 in Health By James Nadal

Freezing conditions are playing havoc with water pipes around the county, fire service said today

A BEDROOM ceiling collapsed after a frozen water pipe burst today, devastating a High Wycombe house.

Firefighters were called Hatters Lane today at about 1.15pm after the resident returned to discover her home was flooded.

An inch of water covered the entire ground floor and the remaining ceilings upstairs which had not collapsed were straining under the pressure.

It appears to have been caused by a pipe in the loft and the house was unoccupied when it happened.

Fire crews around the county have faced a number of cases of flooding in homes today after temperatures plummeted below freezing.

Watch Manager Jon Franklin said the ceiling in the Haters Lane property may have collapsed last night or earlier today.

He said: “She's quite upset, the woman who lives there, as she would be.

“The water has collected in the loft initially until its soaked it and it's become too heavy.

“The ground floor is all covered in a good inch of water.

"When we went upstairs a lot of the ceilings were bowing and the bedroom the ceiling had come down.

"She won't be returning for a little while.

“We've had a series of them today but the others have been caught earlier on because fortunately people have been in, so it's not been so devastating.”

He and his colleagues turned the water supply off at the mains, secured and switched off the electrics and emptied some water with squeegees.

The crew were also called to another house flooding in Hughenden Road, High Wycombe.

Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service responds to 999 calls where there is a hazard from flood water affecting the electricity supply or where vulnerable people are at risk, but it cannot fix burst pipes.

Community safety manager Terry Ridgley said: “With an increasing demand for help during snowy and icy periods, it’s essential that residents only call us when there is a genuine risk to life.

“We strongly recommend residents know where to locate and how to isolate their water and electrical supplies so that we don’t divert valuable resources from our primary functions - fighting fires and responding to collisions and other life-threatening emergencies."

Residents who are experiencing burst pipes or electrical problems caused by winter weather are advised to isolate their water or electrical supply where possible and to contact a local trader to fix the leak.

In a burst pipe emergency: •Turn off the water at the main supply and drain the system by running all the cold taps.

•Turn off the water heating system then drain it by running all the hot taps.

•Turn off the electricity.

•Call in the professionals to repair the damage.