2026-07-20

What To Do Immediately If You Have a Burst Pipe

Discovering a burst pipe is stressful, but the first five minutes make a real difference to how much damage your home suffers. Here's exactly what to do, in order.

1. Turn off your stopcock

Your stopcock controls the main water supply into your home and is usually found under the kitchen sink, though it can sometimes be in a cupboard, utility room or cellar. Turn it clockwise to shut off the supply. This alone will stop the situation getting worse while you wait for help.

2. Turn off the immersion heater or boiler

If your hot water system relies on a tank, switch off the immersion heater. This prevents the system running dry and overheating once the water supply is cut off.

3. Drain the system if you can

Open your cold taps to drain remaining water out of the pipes, which reduces pressure and further leakage from the burst. Flushing the toilet a couple of times also helps empty the cistern.

4. Deal with electrics carefully

If water is near any sockets, switches or the fuse box, and it's safe to do so, turn off the electricity at the consumer unit. Never touch electrics with wet hands or while standing in water.

5. Contain the water

Use towels, buckets and anything else to hand to stop water spreading to carpets, flooring and belongings while you wait for your plumber.

6. Call an emergency plumber

Once the immediate danger is under control, call a Swindon emergency plumber straight away. Take photos of the damage for insurance purposes before you start cleaning up, if it's safe to do so.

If you're dealing with a burst pipe anywhere in Swindon, our burst pipe repair team is available 24 hours a day to help.