Andrew Sykes, leading U.K. specialist in rental, sale, installation and maintenance of cooling, air conditioning, heating and temperature control systems, is warning that the U.K. hire industry in general is not prepared for demand during the critical winter period. The need for portable heating equipment or temporary boilers has been unprecedented during the past two winters, the company said, with December 2010 being the coldest December on record.

Andrew Sykes staff said it is already receiving calls from companies concerned about lack of available heating for the coming winter.

“Whilst freezing temperatures are the last thing on peoples’ minds in summer, it really pays to think ahead and put a contingency plan in place with a specialist hire company,” said Steve Reeve, sales director at Andrew Sykes. “An industry expert will assess the site, the accessibility, the model/units most suitable, power supply and requirement for ancillary equipment.”