Get in touch about emergency plumbing in London

While you wait

Do this now, before the plumber arrives

1. If you smell gas, leave the plumbing. Go outside and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 first.
2. Turn off the water at your stop tap by turning it clockwise. It is usually under the kitchen sink, in an airing cupboard or near the front door. In a flat there may be a second, communal valve where the supply enters the building.
3. If water is near sockets, lights or the consumer unit, switch off the electricity at the consumer unit if you can reach it without touching wet surfaces. If you cannot do that safely, keep away and call 999.
4. Turn off the boiler or immersion heater so it does not run dry, then open the cold taps to drain the pipes and relieve pressure.
5. Contain the water with towels, buckets and bowls, move belongings and take photos of the damage and the source for your insurer.
6. If the water is coming from another flat, knock on their door, then tell your landlord, freeholder or managing agent and your insurer as soon as you can.