A plumbing emergency can happen at any time, and what you do in the first ten minutes has more effect on the final bill than anything else. Here is the order to work through while help is on its way.

1. Turn the water off at the stopcock

This is the single most useful thing you can do. The internal stopcock is usually under the kitchen sink, sometimes in a downstairs cloakroom, an airing cupboard or near where the supply enters the building. Turn it clockwise to close it.

If it will not move, do not force it until it snaps. Move on to the next steps and tell us when you call, because a seized stopcock changes what we bring.

Find it before you need it. Ten minutes spent locating the stopcock today, and checking that it actually turns, is worth more than any advice on this page. If you manage a property remotely, make sure the tenant knows where it is too.

2. Open the cold taps

With the supply closed, open the cold taps around the property, starting with the lowest ones. This drains what is left in the pipework and takes the pressure out of the system, so less water reaches the leak.

Leave the hot taps alone at this stage if you have a stored hot water system, and turn the water heating off.

3. Deal with electricity near water

If water is running near sockets, light fittings, or down through a ceiling with wiring in it, switch the electricity off at the consumer unit and keep everyone out of the affected area. Do not touch switches or sockets that are wet.

This is the point at which a plumbing problem becomes a safety problem, and it is worth saying so clearly when you call us.

4. Contain what you can

Buckets, bowls and towels under an active drip make a real difference over the half hour before someone arrives. If water is collecting on an upstairs floor, a small hole drilled in a bulging ceiling below will let it drain in one controlled place rather than bringing the whole ceiling down. Only do that if you are confident there is no wiring there.

5. Move what matters

Lift rugs, get electricals off the floor, and move furniture and anything of value clear of the water. Photograph the damage as you go. Insurers ask for it, and it is much easier to take pictures now than to describe it later.

6. Have the details ready

When you call, it helps to be able to say where the water is coming from, whether you managed to close the stopcock, whether the electricity is off, and the property postcode. That tells us how urgent it is and what to load into the van.

What not to do

  • Do not pour drain cleaner into a blockage that is already overflowing
  • Do not run appliances that discharge into a blocked waste
  • Do not take apart a joint that is under pressure
  • Do not ignore a small leak overnight on the basis that it is only small

Once the water is off and the area is safe, there is nothing else you need to do. Leave the rest to us.