Question 1

How quickly can you get to me for a burst pipe in London?

Accepted Answer

Target response is 60 minutes across every London borough, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Actual measured averages are 38 minutes for zones 1–3, 48 minutes for zones 4–5 and 55 minutes for zones 6 and the M25 fringe. Burst pipes are priority dispatch, so the nearest engineer is pulled off scheduled work and routed to your address immediately. A live ETA is texted to your phone the moment a van is allocated.

Question 2

What do I do right now if I can't find the stopcock?

Accepted Answer

Look first under the kitchen sink at the back, then by the front door, then in the airing cupboard or downstairs WC. In flats it is often inside a service riser cupboard in the hallway. If you genuinely cannot find it, isolate the property at the external Thames Water stopcock at the pavement — it has a square key fitting under a small metal cover near the boundary. Call us on 0207 046 1363 and we will dispatch and talk you through it on the phone. The engineer will fit a new accessible quarter-turn stopcock as part of the repair so this never happens again.

Question 3

Will my home insurance cover a burst pipe?

Accepted Answer

Yes — almost every standard buildings and contents policy in the UK covers escape of water from burst pipes, including the cost of trace and access to find the leak. The cap on trace-and-access cover is typically £5,000–£10,000. We provide a fully itemised invoice and an engineer report with photos suitable for direct submission to the loss adjuster. The only common exclusion is gradual leakage that has been ignored — for that reason it is important to log the burst with us in writing the same day.

Question 4

How can I prevent frozen pipes bursting in winter?

Accepted Answer

Three things make the biggest difference. First, insulate every pipe in unheated spaces — lofts, garages, outbuildings — using 19mm wall-thickness foam lagging to WAS 30 standard. Second, keep the heating on a low background temperature (12–14°C) when the property is empty in cold weather rather than off altogether. Third, drain external supplies before the first frost — isolate the outside tap from inside the property and open the external tap to drain it down. Frozen-then-burst pipes account for about 30% of our January call-outs and every one of them is preventable.

Question 5

Are lead pipes safe to keep, or should I replace them?

Accepted Answer

Lead pipes themselves are not illegal in existing properties, but Thames Water and Public Health England recommend replacement wherever practical because lead leaches into the drinking water — particularly in soft-water areas and where water has been standing overnight. When a lead pipe bursts we replace the failed section with 25mm MDPE underground or 22mm copper above ground, using WRAS-approved transition fittings. Replacing the whole lead supply pipe up to the boundary is a notifiable job under the Water Supply Regs 1999 — ERL handles the WaterSafe paperwork. Thames Water also runs a free lead replacement subsidy scheme that we can advise on.

Question 6

How much does a burst pipe repair cost in London?

Accepted Answer

An accessible burst on a copper pipe is £140–£280 including parts, labour and pressure test. A push-fit fitting swap is £85–£140. Under-floor or behind-wall repairs are £260–£520 because of the access work and reinstatement. Lead pipe replacement runs £280–£480 for a section, more for a full supply pipe. The initial emergency stop-and-isolate visit is £95–£140 and is rolled into the repair price if you proceed there and then. Every quote is fixed in writing before work starts.

Question 7

Can the repair be done in one visit, or will you have to come back?

Accepted Answer

9 out of 10 burst pipe jobs are completed on the same visit because every van carries copper in 15mm and 22mm, MDPE in 20mm, 25mm and 32mm, push-fit and compression fittings, WRAS-approved stopcocks, a soldering kit, a pressure tester and an electronic leak locator. The 10% that need a second visit are usually under-tiled bathroom floors or commercial slab installations where reinstatement and make-good is a separate trade. Any second visit is at the same fixed-price rate, no extra call-out.

Question 8

Do you do burst pipe repairs in rental properties for landlords?

Accepted Answer

Yes — landlords, letting agents and block managers make up around 40% of our work. We bill directly to managing agent accounts with consolidated monthly invoicing, email engineer reports and before/after photos for tenant records, and coordinate access with the tenant or block concierge so the landlord does not need to be on site. Burst pipes in rental property are covered under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, so the landlord is legally responsible for the repair — we can issue paperwork that supports any rent rebate or alternative-accommodation discussion.

Question 9

Will you also handle the water damage drying out?

Accepted Answer

We make the repair safe and remove standing water on the same visit. For full drying — dehumidifiers, carpet lift, plaster removal, ceiling reinstatement — we work with a specialist restoration partner who can usually be on site the same day. Our engineer report is what the buildings insurer needs to approve drying and reinstatement, and the trace-and-access cover under the policy typically pays for both our work and the restoration partner's work.

Question 10

Do you charge a premium for nights, weekends and bank holidays?

Accepted Answer

No. The published rates apply 24/7, every day of the year, including Christmas Day. We do not surcharge unsocial hours because that creates exactly the wrong incentive — people leaving leaks running until morning to dodge a premium. The only price variation is by job complexity, not by clock time.

Question 11

Are you WRAS, WaterSafe and insured?

Accepted Answer

Yes. ERL plumbers fit only WRAS-approved (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme) couplers, valves and stopcocks on potable supplies, as required by the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999. Engineers carrying out lead replacement work hold WaterSafe scheme registration and their paperwork carries the scheme reference. The company carries £5,000,000 public liability insurance and is fully VAT-registered (company number 17120057).

Question 12

What if the leak is on the supply pipe outside the boundary?

Accepted Answer

Anything on the Thames Water side of the external boundary stopcock is Thames Water's responsibility and they will repair free of charge — call them on 0800 316 9800 to report it. Anything on the customer side (from the boundary stopcock into the property) is the homeowner's responsibility and we cover all of that, including underground MDPE runs from boundary to building. If you are not sure which side the leak is on we will attend, locate the leak, and tell you honestly — no charge if it turns out to be Thames Water's side.

Question 13

Can you repair a burst pipe without ripping up my floor?

Accepted Answer

Often yes. We use an electronic leak locator with acoustic and thermal probes that can pinpoint a concealed leak to within 100–150mm. From there a small, surgically-cut access panel is enough to expose the failed pipe — typically a 200mm x 200mm hole instead of lifting whole boards. Once the repair is pressure-tested and signed off, the panel is reinstated. Where the leak is on a heating circuit we can also pressurise and trace using nitrogen for an even faster fix.

Question 14

What guarantee do you give on a burst pipe repair?

Accepted Answer

Every burst pipe repair carries a 6-month labour guarantee. Parts carry the manufacturer's warranty — typically 5 years on WRAS-approved valves, 25 years on copper pipe and 10 years on MDPE supplies. If the same joint or run fails again inside 6 months we return at no charge. The guarantee is documented on the engineer report so it travels with the property paperwork.

Question 15

Do you cover commercial premises and managed blocks?

Accepted Answer

Yes — restaurants, retail units, office floors, gyms, hotels and managed residential blocks. Commercial bursts often involve coordination with building managers and electricity / fire systems isolation, all of which we handle on the call. Out-of-hours commercial work is at the same rate as daytime. For managed blocks we coordinate riser isolation with the block manager and concierge so leaks across multiple flats are dealt with as a single coordinated incident.

Job	What's Covered	Typical Cost
Emergency stop & isolate	Locate leak, shut mains, drain affected circuit, make safe	£95–£140
Copper pipe section repair	Cut out failed section, fit new copper with WRAS-approved couplers	£140–£280
Push-fit fitting replacement	Swap a failed push-fit / compression joint, full pressure test	£85–£140
Lead pipe replacement (section)	Cut out and replace short run of lead with MDPE / copper to Water Regs 1999	£280–£480
Full mains stopcock replace	Swap seized or leaking stopcock for WRAS-approved quarter-turn valve	£180–£320
Under-floor / behind-wall repair	Trace, expose, repair and reinstate with make-good of finishes	£260–£520
Pipe re-route in copper or MDPE	Decommission damaged run, install new compliant pipe with isolators	£320–£780
Insurance trace-and-access report	Engineer report, before/after photos, itemised invoice for claim	£60–£140

Burst Pipe Repair London — 60-Minute Response, 24/7

What To Do Right Now — 4 Steps

Turn off the stopcock

Isolate electricity nearby

Call us — 24/7

Contain and photograph

Emergency burst pipe repair across London

What we cover on a burst pipe call-out

Mains cold under pressure

Hot feed bursts from cylinder

Pushfit and compression joints

Frozen-then-burst pipes

Stopcock and isolation valve failure

Toilet and basin supply tails

Washing machine and dishwasher feeds

Concealed under-floor leaks

Outside taps and garden bursts

Communal riser leaks in flats

Lead pipework section bursts

Insurance claim documentation

How an ERL burst pipe call-out works

Call us — instant dispatch

We talk you through making safe

Engineer on site, 60-minute target

Diagnose, fixed-price quote, fix

Pressure test, report, paperwork

Burst pipe repair cost in London — 2026 pricing

Want a written quote before the engineer arrives?

Standards and regulations we work to

Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999

BS EN 1057 — Copper tube

WaterSafe scheme membership

BS 6700 / BS EN 806 — Water installation design

BS 8558 — Internal water services

Building Regulations Part G

Real-world burst pipe call-outs

Victorian 3-bed terrace, Clapham SW4

Lead rising main, Edwardian flat, Islington N1

Frozen-then-burst loft pipe, Enfield EN1

Communal riser, 8-storey block, Stratford E15

Stopcock seized open, Notting Hill W11

Washing machine T-piece, Camden NW1

Insurance reports and trace-and-access

Why London property owners choose ERL

Areas covered

Frequently Asked Questions

Burst pipe right now?

Related services across London

Emergency Plumber London

Leak Detection London

Blocked Drains London

Boiler Repair London

Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)

EICR London

Service Area — All London Boroughs

More from Emergency Repairs London

Final reminder — call before the damage gets worse