A burst pipe can put a remarkable amount of water into a house in a few minutes, so the order matters: stop the water, make the area safe, then get help on the way. Work through the steps below and send us the details — we will start looking straight away.
Turn off the internal stopcock, then open the cold taps to drain the pipework down. Switch off affected heating or electrical systems only when it is safe to do so — never touch a switch, socket or consumer unit that is wet or that water is running towards.
Move belongings away from the water, collect escaping water in buckets or bowls where you can do so safely, and keep out of any room where a ceiling is bulging or dripping.
Everything below is about limiting damage while you wait. None of it requires tools beyond a stopcock key, and it makes a real difference to what the repair ends up costing.
If water is near sockets, switches, downlights or a consumer unit, keep away from them and treat the area as live until an electrician or your supplier says otherwise.
Most bursts happen where a pipe is cold and unprotected — in a loft above the insulation, under floorboards against an outside wall, in an unheated garage or on the run out to an outside tap. Water expands as it freezes, the pipe or a joint splits, and nothing happens until the thaw, at which point it all arrives at once. Older steel and iron pipework can also fail from corrosion without any frost involved.
The repair usually means cutting out the damaged section and replacing it, then pressure-testing the run. A plumber should also look at why that spot froze — missing lagging, a pipe run through a cold void, poor clipping — because the same section will go again next winter otherwise. Drying out and making good the building damage is normally separate work, often handled through an insurance claim.
Vofix is a matching service that connects customers with independent local plumbers. The plumber will confirm availability, pricing and the scope of work directly with you before work begins. We cannot guarantee an arrival time, and attendance is always subject to plumber availability.
Vofix is a matching service that connects customers with independent local plumbers. The plumber will confirm availability, pricing and the scope of work directly with you before work begins.
Availability varies by area and by day, so attendance is always subject to plumber availability. Vofix does not set or control the prices plumbers charge.
Three steps from telling us about the job to speaking with a local plumber directly.
Share a few quick details about your plumbing job, big or small.
We look for a plumber in the Vofix network covering your area.
Speak directly with your plumber and get the job sorted.
Water already in the pipes has to drain out, which is why opening the cold taps helps. If it keeps flowing steadily, the burst may be fed by a loft tank rather than the mains — close the valve on the tank — or the stopcock itself may not be sealing fully.
No. We start looking as soon as your details arrive and prioritise emergencies, but the plumbers in our network are independent businesses and attendance is subject to their availability. We will tell you plainly if we cannot find someone quickly.
If there is damage to the building or your belongings, speak to your insurer early — most home policies cover escape of water, and some appoint their own contractors for the drying and repair work. Photograph everything before clearing up.
Broadly, the supply pipe from the boundary into the property is the homeowner’s responsibility and the main in the street is the water company’s. If water is coming up in the road or the footpath, report it to your water supplier.
Evening and weekend attendance across the Midlands typically starts around £135 and rises with the time and the work involved. Vofix does not set or control prices — the plumber confirms the charge with you before attending.
See typical emergency costs →Stop the water first, then send us the details. We will start looking immediately for an available local plumber — subject to plumber availability.
What to do next, and what the repair involves.