Protect the conservatory and use the conservatory to protect

Winter is upon us, with much of the UK experiencing a cold snap recently and some even seeing snow.

With gales forecast for Friday and storms in the week ahead, esure home insurance has warned homeowners to take precautions against adverse weather.

"Its not just the storms in the financial market that homeowners should be thinking about at the moment," said esure home insurance head of risk and underwriting Mike Pickard.

"With the weather seemingly breaking new records each year, we would urge every homeowner in the UK to take steps to prevent storm damage right now. It is not a question of if; its a question of when."

Conservatory owners should move any plant pots or loose objects into the conservatory to stop them blowing around the garden. Doing so will also protect the conservatory as a flying barbeque is likely to cause some damage in 100mph winds.

Any items that cant be moved inside should be secured to something solid to save them being blown about.

Cleaning any guttering will also help keep storm water flowing away from the home.