As region plunges into deep freeze, cars and homes strain against the cold [Video]

Whenever a cold snap descends on the London region, plumber Grant Patterson knows he’s going to be busy.

We’re getting a lot of backed-up sewer drains, a lot of frozen pipes and a bunch of water heater issues,” said Patterson, who owns London Plumbing.

“It’s really all about preventative maintenance, and unfortunately, sometimes people don’t do that.”

Patterson has stepped in to help the six plumbers he has on staff because they’ve been busy the last few days and expect the fast pace to continue, he said.

Just last week, Patterson arrived at an empty rental property on Hamilton Road to find the ceiling collapsed and the bathtub fallen through to the floor below because the pipes had burst and soaked the floor of the bathroom.

“If your property is vacant, make sure you turn off the water in the basement and make sure to keep the heat at 19 …