Not only Snow - but---

As you know, our washing machine is in the garage and water comes from a valve in the house loft (just above the bathroom) On Monday night I could hear water surging up the mains inlet pipe, but as it was cold, I did not go up into the loft in my Jamas to investigate, Good job too as when I got up and opened the Conservatory door, water was pouring along the ground from the overhead pipe, along the passage between the house and the garage into our soakaway and there was nearly an inch of water waiting to enter the soakaway drain. I gently opened the garage side door only to see water gushing out of the fractured pipe entering near the garage ceiling and soaking the bed and the settee, also with an inch of water on the garage floor. I straight away went into the house and shut off the mains supply in the bathroom, stopping all water coming into the house and exiting to the garage. Steve was on his way to London, so I looked up the plumbers in the 01295 area and struck lucky as my second call was answered by a chap (called Steve) who promised to come out straight away. Half an hour he arrived with his son Steve and fitted a new long handled valve in the loft to replace the plastic valve which had corroded. I spent an hour or two drying out the garage and the bedding and set about getting some lunch. I left the electric fires on to speed up the drying out and have just turned them off (Thursday 14th) The dear plumber charged me just £35 so the cost of electricity was not too bad.
He has promised to return to re-connect the water supply to the garage, so I am waiting for him to phone me as we are in the middle of a thaw and we should not get any more pipe bursts. - I hope! In the meantime, I will accept our Steve's offer to use his washing machine. Love from a knackered Dad (and Mum)