Martin Lewis warns homeowners to find hidden switch and avoid £9k bill this winter

A hidden switch could be the reason your bills may escalate into the £9,000 region.

Experts stressed its imperativeness in knowing what this switch is and locating yours to help save on this winter.

Money Saving Expert, , offers some handy tips to help you locate your off switch and with winter fast approaching could save you from frozen burst pipes and eye-watering bills.

Lewis wrote on his website about a home's stopcock which is a mains water tap also known as the off switch.

The warned: "If you don't know where yours is, your house could be flooded with water everywhere, while you have no idea how to stop it."

A stopcock is also known as a stop tap and is a valve which controls the flow of gas or water through a pipe.

"A stopcock is your mains water tap (the off switch). Everyone should know where theirs is, especially at this time of year when pipes can burst due to frost," Lewis explained.

The off switch helps to stop the water from flowing through these pipes which "before winter hits, it's good to know how to turn your water off should you need to."

These vital switches are usually found under the kitchen sink, but can also be found under the stairs, under floorboards, near the front door, in a garage, utility room or bathroom or in an airing cupboard.

wrote on X, formerly Twitter, asking: "Do you know where your stopcock is" adding how "burst frozen pipes create on average £9,000 + of damage"

Martin Lewis explained that in many households stopcocks can be located under the kitchen skin but added how others may be found outside their homes.

These vital switches are usually found under the kitchen sink, but can also be found under the stairs, under floorboards, near the front door, in a garage, utility room or bathroom or in an airing cupboard.

added a handy to help locate your stopcock and to avoid any costly damage this winter.

For those concerned if their stopcocks may not work, Lewis shares some handy tips adding how it's vital to turn your stopcock "a couple of times a year to minimise seizing due to scale".

He added how it's also imperative to avoid opening a stopcock fully as "they're more likely to jam".

You could make sure to always check your stopcock on a set day each year so you know it is always checked adding to "insulate outdoor taps" in order to help avoid exploding pipes.

User @thingos added another handy tip saying: "Always turn it back half or quarter a turn from full.

"It will not affect the flow, and help stop it from seizing."