Burst pipe? Here’s what it usually means

Guidance last checked on 3 October 2026 against UK safety regulation and the sources behind our service pages.

A burst pipe needs the water stopped before anything else: turn the stopcock, usually under the kitchen sink, clockwise to shut it off. The next call is a plumber for a burst in your own pipes, or your water supplier if water is coming up through the pavement or road; if you rent, tell your landlord or letting agent before booking. With the water off, switch off the boiler and any immersion heater, open all the taps to drain the pipes, and keep away from any electrics the water has reached.

Burst pipe: the questions people ask

Why do pipes burst in cold weather?

Water expands as it freezes, and ice inside a pipe pushes on the pipe wall until it cracks or splits. Pipes in unheated spaces such as the loft, a garage or an outside wall are the most at risk. The leak often only shows once the weather turns milder and the ice melts, letting water rush through the damaged section, so check pipes in cold places as a cold snap ends.

What should I do if a pipe has frozen but not burst?

A frozen pipe can still split as it thaws, so turn the water off at the stopcock first, then open the tap that pipe feeds so water can escape as the ice melts. Thaw the pipe slowly with a wrapped hot water bottle or warm towels, never a blowtorch or heat gun. Once it has thawed, run a dry cloth along the pipe, and if water keeps appearing on it, there is a leak: keep the supply off.

Why do pipes burst when it isn't freezing?

Pipes also fail without a frost. Old steel or iron pipework corrodes with age, thinning the pipe wall until it leaks or bursts under pressure. Sudden pressure surges, often heard as banging or clunking when a tap or appliance switches on or off, strain pipes and joints. Poor installation, earlier DIY repairs and ground movement around buried pipes are the other common causes.

Why is water still coming out after I turned off the stopcock?

Closing the stopcock stops fresh water coming in, but water already in the pipes and any tank in the loft keeps draining through the burst. Opening all the taps empties them faster. If water still runs after that, the stopcock may not close fully, or the burst may be on the pipe before it: turn the water off at the outside stop valve. A central heating leak can keep running: the taps do not drain those pipes.

What if water is coming through my ceiling from the flat above?

Water coming through your ceiling from the flat above is usually a leak in that flat, which your own stopcock cannot stop. Ask that neighbour to turn their water off, or contact the building's managing agent if nobody answers. Meanwhile keep out from under any ceiling that is bulging with water, keep away from wet light fittings, and switch off at the consumer unit only if you can reach it standing somewhere dry.

Who fixes a burst water pipe in the street?

A burst on the street side is your water supplier's to fix. A leak coming up through the pavement or the road, outside your property boundary, is usually on the water main or the pipe from it up to your boundary, and the supplier is responsible for both. In London that is not always Thames Water: Affinity Water supplies parts of north and west London, SES Water parts of south London, and Essex & Suffolk Water parts of east London.

Related symptoms

Boiler leaking water

What to do, in order

1. Turn off the water at the stopcock
Turn the stopcock clockwise, perhaps several turns, until the water stops; never force it. Look under the kitchen sink first, then an airing cupboard, under the stairs or near the front door. In a flat, also look where the supply enters the flat.
2. Use the outside stop valve if the stopcock won't close
If the stopcock won't close, use the outside stop valve, usually under a cover in the path or pavement near your boundary. It may cut off neighbours' water too, so tell them; in a flat, check with your landlord or managing agent first.
3. Switch off the electricity if water has reached it
If water has reached sockets, switches, light fittings or appliances, switch the electricity off at the consumer unit, but only if you can reach it without standing in water. Don't touch anything electrical that is wet, the consumer unit included.
4. Drain the pipes through the taps
Open all the cold taps. Switch off the boiler and any immersion heater (at the consumer unit if their switches are wet), then open the hot taps. Emptying the pipes, and any tank in the loft, cuts how much water still reaches the burst.
5. Contain the water and keep clear of a bulging ceiling
Soak up water with towels and catch drips in buckets. If a ceiling is bulging or sagging with water, keep out of that room. In a flat, warn the neighbour below, because their ceiling may be next.
6. Work out whose leak it is
If closing your stopcock stopped it, the leak is in your own pipework. Water through the ceiling from the flat above is that flat's to turn off. Water rising from the pavement or road is your water supplier's to fix.
7. Photograph the damage and call your insurer
Take photos before anything is moved or thrown away, and keep receipts for any emergency repair. Most insurers run an emergency helpline. If you rent, tell your landlord or letting agent before booking any repair, and your own insurer too.
8. Book the repair, and an electrician if wiring got wet
Leave the water off until a plumber has repaired the pipe. If water reached the consumer unit, sockets or light fittings, have an electrician check them before those circuits are switched back on.

What not to do

Don't start hunting for where the leak begins before the stopcock is off — turning the water off is what limits the damage, and every minute spent searching first is more water coming through
Don't touch a switch, socket, light fitting or appliance that is wet or near the water, and don't stand in water to reach the consumer unit — switch off there only if you can reach it dry, and if the consumer unit itself is wet, leave it alone and have an electrician check it
Don't stand under a ceiling that is bulging or sagging with water — keep out of that room
If the water is coming up through the pavement or the road, outside your property boundary, rather than from your own pipework: report it to your water supplier instead of booking a plumber — the water main and the pipe from it up to your boundary are the supplier's to repair. If you don't know which company supplies you, Water UK's postcode checker tells you

When to request help

Once the water is off and the electrics are safe, book a plumber to repair the burst pipe, and leave the supply off until it is fixed. If you rent, tell your landlord or letting agent before booking: in England, on a tenancy granted for less than seven years, section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requires the landlord to keep the installations that supply your home with water in repair and proper working order, and the outside pipes and drains in repair, though not repairs a tenant is liable for under their duty to use the home in a tenant-like manner. Treat it as a same-day job: with the supply off the household has no running water, and water left standing keeps damaging floors, ceilings and wiring. If neither the stopcock nor the outside stop valve will turn the water off, say so in your request.

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