Dealing with burst pipes

Find and turn off your internal stop tap as soon as possible to stop the flow of water.

In most homes, the internal stop tap can be found underneath the kitchen sink.

Flush your toilets and turn on all your cold taps to drain the water left in your pipes.

This will relieve any remaining pressure in the pipe, while also ensuring the water left in your system goes down the drain and not into your home.

When the water stops running, turn off all the taps.

If you think the water could have reached your electrics, turn off your power at the mains.

Do not turn them back on until they have been checked by a qualified electrician.

Take photos and videos of the damage caused to your home and personal belongings.

Your insurance company may ask to see these if you make a claim.

Use any towels, mops and buckets you have to soak up and collect the water.

You should also move any valuable items out of harm's way to prevent damage to them.

For major leaks, you may need to hire a water pump or contact a professional with specialist drying equipment.

If you wish to make a claim, contact your insurance company before you speak to a plumber (unless it is an emergency).

They will explain the claim process and help you organise professional repairs.

If you are not covered for leak repairs on your policy, you should contact a plumber as soon as possible.

You will need to get the pipe repaired or replaced before you can turn your water supply back on.

You should contact a qualified plumber to carry out this work.

Keep the receipt for the work as you may need to provide it to your insurance company.

Depending on the seriousness of the leak, you may need to do a few other things to finish drying your home.

To dry the affected room or area, you should:

1. open your doors and windows and use fans to create airflow
2. turn up your thermostat to add heat to the airflow
3. use a dehumidifier to remove moisture.