Plumbing training apprentices 'should repair water leaks immediately'

Those looking to enrol on a plumbing training course could benefit from hearing the advice of one maintenance expert, who claimed that leaking water pipes should be repaired immediately.

William Davies, managing director at Aspect Maintenance, a construction company which operates across the domestic and commercial sectors, said that postponing such jobs can lead to increased costs and permanent damage.

His comments follow the publication of research by Homeserve, which revealed that landlords and homeowners have been forced to spend over £400 million each year on repairing damage caused by leaking water pipes.

"A long-term leak can take months or even years to show itself and, by then, it is likely to have done significant damage that will generally be made good under an insurance claim, stated Mr Davies.

This news comes after Sainsbury's Home Insurance recently reported that there were 373,000 home insurance claims during the first half of 2009, compared to 527,000 in the same period of 2008.