What counts as a plumbing emergency?
A plumbing emergency is any water problem that is causing damage now. It is also any fault that cannot wait for a routine appointment. A burst pipe is the clearest example, but it is not the only one, since leaks and overflows can be just as urgent.
If you are not sure whether your problem is urgent, these are the signs that usually mean it is, although every home is different:
- Water escaping from a burst or split pipe
- A leak soaking a floor, ceiling or wall
- A toilet that is overflowing or will not stop filling
- No water at any tap, when your neighbours still have theirs
- Water running close to sockets, lights or the consumer unit
Plumbing and drainage problems often overlap. For instance, an overflowing toilet can come from a blocked drain rather than a faulty fitting. In that case our emergency drain services team can help, and our guide on what to do before the engineer arrives explains the first steps.
Burst pipe: what to do first
A burst pipe can release a lot of water in a few minutes. Quick action limits the damage while you wait for help. Follow these steps in order.
- Stop the water. Turn the stop tap (stopcock) clockwise until it closes. It is often under the kitchen sink, but it can also sit in a cupboard, a garage or near the front door.
- Drain down. Open the cold taps and flush the toilets once. This empties the pipes, lowers the pressure and stops water leaking from the burst.
- Make the electrics safe. If water is near sockets, lights or the consumer unit, do not touch them. Switch the power off at the consumer unit only if you can reach it safely and the floor is dry. If you are unsure, stay clear and call an electrician or the emergency services.
- Contain the water. Put buckets under drips, lay towels along the floor and move furniture and electrical items out of the way. Then photograph the damage, because your insurer will want to see it.
- Tell us. Use the enquiry form to describe where the pipe is, what you have already done and your postcode. We prioritise urgent requests when we reply.
Check where your stop tap is today, before anything goes wrong. Make sure it turns freely, because a stiff tap is hard to close in a hurry. A few minutes of preparation can save a great deal of water damage later.
Other plumbing emergencies we can help with
Burst pipes get the attention, yet most emergency calls are smaller problems that still need quick action. Here are the ones we deal with most.
- Leaking pipes and joints, including slow leaks that you cannot see. Our leak detection and repair service traces them without opening up more of your home than needed.
- Overflowing toilets and cisterns. If the cause is a toilet unblocking problem, we clear the drain as part of the visit.
- Sudden loss of water or very low pressure at the taps
- Leaking taps and pipework under sinks, baths and basins
- Flooding from a failed pipe or waste connection, followed by drain repairs if the damage reaches the drain
What we do not cover
We do not work on boilers, gas appliances or central heating systems, because that work needs a Gas Safe registered engineer. If you smell gas, leave the building, open doors and windows and call the National Gas Emergency Service straight away.
For a broken boiler or a heating fault, please contact a Gas Safe registered engineer instead. We would rather say so now, because time matters in an emergency.
Where we cover
We take emergency plumbing enquiries for Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch. Each town has its own page, since the ground and housing differ from place to place.
Because Poole is built around a harbour, the water table in the Old Town, Hamworthy and near the Quay stays close to the surface. Victorian terraces in Parkstone and Newtown also have old pipework. Our Poole page explains the local ground in more detail.
Bournemouth has many large Victorian villas that were split into flats over the years. Several kitchens and bathrooms now share pipes that were built for one household. As a result, a fault in one flat can quickly affect the others.
Christchurch sits where the Rivers Avon and Stour meet, and parts of the town near the rivers are at higher flood risk, so check the Environment Agency flood map for a specific address. A high water table in wet months can make a leak harder to spot. If you are outside these three towns, send an enquiry anyway and we will tell you whether we can help.
How to ask for help
Our online enquiry form is open 24 hours a day. The more detail you give us, the faster we can judge how urgent the job is. We cannot promise an arrival time, but we will discuss timing with you when we reply.
Please include the following in your message, because details help us judge urgency:
- Your address and postcode
- What is happening, and where the water is coming from
- Whether you have turned off the stop tap
- Whether water has reached any electrics
- When the problem started
Not sure if the problem is a leak or a drain fault? Read about leak detection and repair, or see warning signs of a blocked drain for clues. A CCTV drain survey can also show whether the water is coming from a drain.
Emergency Plumber — frequently asked questions
What counts as a plumbing emergency?
A plumbing emergency is a fault that is causing damage now, such as a burst pipe, a leak soaking a ceiling, an overflowing toilet or a total loss of water. If water is near electrics, treat it as urgent. If you are unsure, send an enquiry and we will tell you how we would approach it.
What should I do first if a pipe bursts?
First, turn off the stop tap by turning it clockwise. Next, open the cold taps to drain the pipes. Then keep clear of any wet electrics, because water and power are a dangerous mix. After that, contact us through the enquiry form.
How much does an emergency plumber cost in the UK?
National guides give a rough picture, although prices vary by job. MyJobQuote, MyBuilder and Checkatrade (read September 2026) put UK call-out fees at roughly £70 to £160, with hourly labour from about £40 to £200 depending on the job and the time of day. These are national figures, not our prices. Request a quote online and we explain the cost of your job before work begins.
Are emergency plumbers more expensive out of hours?
Often, yes. The UK cost guides above report that out-of-hours and emergency visits sit at the higher end of the range. However, the exact amount depends on the job, so describe the problem in the enquiry form and ask for the cost to be explained.
Who is responsible for fixing a burst water pipe?
It depends on where the pipe is, because ownership changes at the property boundary. Pipework inside your property, and usually the supply pipe running to it, is normally the owner’s responsibility. The water company generally looks after the main in the street. If you rent, tell your landlord as well, and check your home insurance for escape of water cover.
Do you come out at night?
Our online enquiry form is open 24 hours a day, so you can report a problem at any time. We prioritise urgent requests. However, we cannot promise an arrival time or night-time attendance. We will discuss timing with you when we reply.
Can you help with an overflowing toilet?
Yes. Turn off the water supply to the toilet if there is an isolation valve, and stop flushing, because extra water makes the overflow worse. If the cause is a blocked drain, we can clear it. Our blocked toilet page explains the process in more detail.
Do you repair boilers or heating?
No. We do not work on boilers, gas appliances or heating systems, since gas work needs specialist registration. For those faults, please contact a Gas Safe registered engineer.
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