Burst water pipes have hit homes in Glasgow, with reports of frozen pipes surging across the city and the west of Scotland.

Scottish Water said the number of bursts reported has increased by 150% in the last three days but suspects the figure is even higher.

After several days of below-freezing temperatures, a quick thaw has left many pipes cracked leading to bursts in homes or leakage elsewhere in the system.

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Repair teams have spent the weekend responding to a surge of burst pipes.

The water firm said since Thursday its monitoring systems have shown an additional demand of more than 100 mega litres a day (100 million litres) on the network, which has been assessed as the result of broken pipes and leakage.

It said squads have been out in communities spotting leaks and assembling repair teams as a priority.

The areas impacted include Glasgow, Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian and Stirling.

It is expected that the response will last well into next week, ahead of Christmas.

Kevin Roy, customer service general manager, said: “The weather conditions this week have caused a significant impact on our supply network across the country.

“On top of the usual daily distribution of water and demand from customers, we’ve seen an additional 100 million litres a day flowing through the network and unfortunately that’s the result of leaks and bursts. The deep freeze has developed into a quick thaw with temperatures on the increase leaving some pipes cracked.

“Some bursts will be very visible and in publicly accessible places, others on private property which is the responsibility of the key holder or owner, and others will be much more challenging to locate."

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Scottish Water is asking homeowners and businesses to check their properties, including any unoccupied buildings for signs of leaks or cracked pipes.

Mr Roy, added: “We’re doing all we can to manage the situation as effectively as possible and trying to reduce disruption for customers.”

Scottish Water said its customer contact centre is expected to be exceptionally busy and has asked people to avoid phoning, unless in an emergency.

Instead, it said “leaks can be reported on its website”,  where further winter advice on protecting pipes and property is available.

Scottish Water advises: “If a leak is discovered within the boundary of a property, householders are advised to seek the services of a registered plumber via SNIPEF or Watersafe.

“Scottish Water’s Priority Services Register allows anyone with additional needs to receive support.”