Talking about the great British weather' is generally acknowledged as something of a national obsession, but actions speak louder than words, so they say.

Every year we see images on the television, and in the newspapers, of homes buried under piles of snow and houses with their roofs ripped off by strong winds. Of course, these are extreme cases of what can happen when the weather turns nasty, but we should never get too complacent.

No-one needs to be reminded that we live in a very windy country prone to unexpected storms. Luckily, the winds we get tend not, on the whole, to cause masses of damage.

Usually it's just a case of a few tiles or slates becoming loose and getting whipped away, or a fence being blown down.

Roofs are one of the areas most prone to damage and should be checked often for loose or slipped tiles and slates. Corroded nails are also a worry, as are cracked or eroded mortar bed joints on the ridge, or hip ridge tiles.

Don't feel you have to clamber all the way up there to take a close look though, and never attempt any sort of roof DIY job in windy conditions.

Most roofs can be checked from the ground using a pair of binoculars.

Also keep an eye out for signs of erosion on the mortar joints on chimneys and cracked or crumbling bricks. Repoint or replace as necessary and carry out repairs immediately if deteriorating chimney stacks are leaning, as it's likely to mean they are unsafe and structurally unsound.

The same goes for masonry boundary walls. Leaning is a bad sign, as are eroded mortar joints and crumbling brickwork.

Television aerials and satellite dishes should also be on your checklist as it's not unusual for screws, bolts and other fixings to become loose as time goes by. This is particularly important where the aerial is fixed to a chimney stack, wall or other part of a building.

Trees can pose a problem if they are too close to buildings, as branches can be torn away by strong winds and end up flying into windows.

Deal with any loose wood immediately and keep trees pruned.

Keep an eye on the weather forecast over the winter months and take the necessary steps to secure loose objects if you hear that a storm is on its way. This includes anything not already bolted or tied down, such as ladders, garden furniture and so on.

Ensure doors and windows are securely fastened too and keep vehicles well away from any structures that are at risk of collapse.

It's relatively uncommon for buildings to suffer major structural failures, although the wind can highlight weaknesses.

Regularly inspecting and maintaining your property and garden will mean you spot potential problems before they have the chance to get really bad.