Normally, in December, Yorkshire Water receives around 600 reports of burst pipes.

Last year, during the coldest winter in Britain for 31 years, that figure shot up to more than 2,200. The record low temperatures wreaked havoc with supply pipes, in particular the older sections of the network, resulting in a deluge of calls.

“In December we took 50,000 calls – the most we have ever taken in one month,” says company spokesman Matt Thompson. “Our staff worked around the clock, including over Christmas, to fix leaks and deliver bottled water to those without supplies. It was a heroic effort.”

Between 2010 and 2015 Yorkshire Water is investing £3.5 billion across the region – more than £1,750 per household. This rolling programme of work includes improving drinking water quality, reducing sewer flooding, improving the quality of bathing water and protecting treatment works from extreme weather.

Over the past five years the company has invested around £100 million in improving the resilience of its water pipes across the region.

But the harsh winters that are predicted to become a regular occurrence in the UK have led to an additional investment being made specifically to tackle leaks and bursts.

“We are seeing increasingly cold winters – the winter 2009/10 was also pretty fierce – and we have learned lessons from them,” says Matt. “They have highlighted that there’s more we can do.”

A year ago the company began a £39 million programme of investment to increase the robustness of its pipes. Beginning in Leeds this month, work began to tackle 53 streets in Bradford and Keighley, to replace 12.8km of pipe.

The investment means that the average age of the water pipe network in key areas will be lowered. Sophisticated technology is being used to control water pressure and flow, and to inspect water pipes for any potential problems.

YW operates 32,000km of pipes, some of which were installed more than a century ago and are susceptible to cracking in extreme cold.

“We are replacing hundreds of kilometres of pipe, including that dating back to the Victorian era,” says Matt. Most of those replaced measure between 3in and 12in in diameter, but some are as large as 36in.

These cast iron pipes are being replaced with more robust plastic pipes which are more flexible under pressure from frozen earth and less prone to cracking. The work is already paying dividends, with recordings last month showing the lowest-ever leakage levels in the company’s history.

Additionally, more than 400 technicians and field crew are out and about across the region detecting and repairing leaks. “We have roughly doubled the number from last year, with employees and contractors searching for and fixing leaks,” says Matt. Underground leaks can be detected through the use of listening rods which can pinpoint spots at which pressure changes. “Many leaks are not visible on the ground surface, but we can still find them,” says Matt.

Also this year, the company has 200 4x4 vehicles on standby so in very bad weather they can get out to fix bursts in most locations. “Last year we had a few vehicles – this is a massive increase,” says Matt.

He heaps praise on YW’s customers for the role they play in reporting leaks. “They flag up bursts and get in touch not only by phone but through our website and other media such as Twitter and Facebook. We monitor all those channels.”

Of the 50,000 calls last winter, 15,000 related to private pipes. Although YW is not required to fix these, on many occasions last winter, they did. “We fixed our own frozen pipes, and where we could we helped customers who had problems with private pipes,” says Matt. “We go above and beyond for people and do our absolute best.”

The company encourages customers to help themselves to prevent leaks at their property by taking precautions against cold weather. Through its ‘Wrap Up’ campaign, launched last month, it urges people to take steps such as lagging pipes and water boilers, and running the heating at a low level on cold days.

Customers can glean useful tips and other information from the company’s website, and order a free winter protection leaflet and pipe-lagging and tap-cover set.

“Frozen pipes can cause huge problems in the home. These measures need to be put in place before the cold weather arrives,” says YW’s community engagement adviser John Bond. “We also have a short film on our website to show customers what they can do.”

* For more information and a free pack, visit yorkshirewater.com/your-water-services/protect-your-pipes.