Emergency Plumbing FAQs

A plumbing emergency is any problem that risks flooding, serious water damage, loss of your water supply or a health and safety hazard if it is not dealt with quickly. Burst pipes, uncontrollable leaks, overflowing toilets and water coming through a ceiling are common examples. If water is escaping and you cannot stop it, treat it as urgent and turn off your supply at the stopcock.

Turn off the water at your internal stopcock to stop more water escaping, then open the cold taps to drain the system. Keep away from electrics if water is near them and, if in doubt, switch off the electricity at the consumer unit. Move valuables away from the water and use towels or a bucket to contain it until help arrives.

Your internal stopcock is usually under the kitchen sink, though it can be in a bathroom, utility room, cupboard or cellar. Turn it clockwise to shut off the supply. If you cannot find or turn it, our guides on how to find your stopcock and how to turn off your water supply explain where to look and what to do if it is seized.

Treat a gas smell as an immediate danger. Leave the property, avoid using switches, naked flames or anything that could cause a spark, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. We do not provide gas or heating engineering services unless this is separately confirmed.

We handle both emergency and everyday plumbing: burst and leaking pipes, water leak detection, blocked and overflowing toilets, blocked sinks and drains, tap and stopcock repairs, water pressure problems, and bathroom, kitchen and shower plumbing. You can see the full list on our plumbing services page.

No. This website covers plumbing repair and maintenance only. We do not carry out gas or heating engineering work unless it is separately confirmed with you. For gas emergencies, always call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.

Yes. We help homeowners, tenants, landlords and letting agents with residential plumbing, and we support businesses, offices, retail, hospitality and property managers with commercial plumbing. The approach is the same: diagnose the cause, explain the options plainly, and carry out a safe, lasting repair.

Work is carried out to a professional standard with appropriate insurance in place. Specific policy details can be confirmed when you contact us.

Costs vary with the type of problem, the time of the call-out and the parts required, so a reliable figure can only be given once we understand the issue. Ask about call-out and labour charges when you contact us so you know what to expect before any work begins. Our guide to emergency plumber costs explains the main factors.

We will explain the charges that apply and, wherever possible, what the work is likely to involve before we begin. For planned jobs you can use our request a quote form. We will not quote a firm price blind, because an accurate figure depends on what we find.

Use our request a quote page to tell us about the job, your postcode and the best time to reach you. We will come back to you with the information you need. For anything urgent, calling is always faster.

We arrange plumbing help across our confirmed UK service areas, grouped into regions such as London, the South East, the North West, the West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber and more. See the areas we cover for the full list, and send us your postcode to confirm availability.

We cannot guarantee a fixed arrival time. Availability depends on your location, the time of day and current demand, so the honest answer is that we confirm what we can do when you get in touch. We aim to arrange help as quickly as possible and will always be clear about what to expect.

We aim to help with emergencies at any hour, but round-the-clock availability is an aim rather than a guarantee and depends on demand and location. Please get in touch to check availability in your area.