A burst pipe rarely announces itself politely. One moment everything is normal, and the next there's water where it shouldn't be. Since every extra minute means more water on your floors and walls, what you do in the first five minutes matters more than almost anything that happens afterwards.
1. Find your stopcock and turn it off
This is the single most useful thing you can do. Your stopcock is usually under the kitchen sink, though older properties sometimes have it elsewhere. Turn it clockwise until it stops. Once the water supply is cut, the burst pipe can't keep flooding the property, even if it takes a while for an emergency plumber to arrive.
2. Turn on the taps
With the stopcock off, open the taps in the house, starting with the lowest ones. This drains the remaining water sitting in the pipes, so it comes out somewhere controlled rather than continuing to leak from the burst.
3. Deal with electricity, if it's anywhere near the water
If water is pooling near sockets, switches, or a fuse box, turn off the power at the consumer unit if you can reach it safely. Never touch a switch with wet hands, and don't wade through standing water to reach one.
4. Contain what you can
Towels, buckets, and anything absorbent help limit how far the water spreads while you wait. Since carpets and flooring absorb water quickly, moving rugs and furniture out of the way early is worth the effort.
5. Get help on the way
Once the water is under control, request help online so an engineer can get to you. Give as much detail as you can about where the burst is and what you've already done. That helps your engineer arrive prepared.
What happens next
Once your engineer arrives, they'll trace the burst, repair or replace the damaged section, and check nothing else nearby was affected before restoring your water supply. If insurance is likely to be involved, photograph the damage before anything gets cleared up, since that record is genuinely useful for a claim.
This applies whether you're in Exeter, Exmouth, or Newton Abbot — the stopcock-first approach works the same way everywhere. For the fuller picture on repairs themselves, see our burst pipe repair service page.
