It's best to thaw out pipes and taps slowly, with hot water bottles or towels soaked in hot water. Never use a naked flame or blowtorch to thaw the pipe – as direct heat may cause permanent damage to the pipes and could also lead to a fire in the home. Alternatively your pipes will eventually begin to thaw on their own once the temperatures rise above freezing. As they do so, you may begin to hear your pipes making gurgling, clanging, or banging sounds as the ice begins to move. Once thawed check for split or dripping pipes

Sometimes pipes freezing and thawing can cause them to burst. If this happens: Turn off the water supply coming into your property at the stop tap and switch off your boiler. Open all your taps to drain the system as quickly as possible, saving some water in a bucket for flushing toilets and hand washing and call a plumber.