How to Report No Water or a Burst Pipe

If the taps have run dry, or water is coming up where it should not be, the first call is to your water company. It is the body that fixes burst mains and blocked public sewers, and the one that can tell you what is happening in your street. If you do not know which company supplies you, enter your postcode on the Water UK website to find out¹.

While you wait, use any alternative supply, such as bottled water, solely for drinking, washing your hands and preparing food³. Many companies aim to arrange an alternative supply, including bottled water stations, if your supply is not back within 12 hours, and some deliver bottled water to customers on their priority register sooner⁴. If someone in your home is older, disabled or relies on water for medical reasons, register for extra care now rather than during an incident⁶.

If water is escaping inside your home, turn it off at the stopcock if you can and call a plumber as well as your water company. A leak on the pipe that runs from the main into your home is usually your responsibility, though your supplier may be able to help repair it⁷.

Contact your water company to report a burst main or no water

Your water company is the right first contact for anything happening on the mains network. Government guidance is direct: contact your local water company to fix blocked sewers and burst water mains¹. In Northern Ireland, NI Water is the body to contact to report an overflowing public sewer or water from a burst main⁹. If you are in any doubt about who owns the problem, ring your supplier and let them work it out.

The same applies to flooding with a plumbing cause. Somerset Council advises that if flooding is due to a burst pipe, you should contact your water supplier, the company to whom you pay your water rates¹⁰. In the South West, South West Water takes reports of flooding from sewers and water pipes¹¹. In Northern Ireland, the flooding incident line takes reports and you do not need to know the cause of the flooding to use it¹².

Before an incident, do two small things. Lancashire's emergency planners advise that if you identify an issue with the water supply, you alert your water company, and that you make sure you know the emergency supply number for your company¹³. Northern Ireland's guidance adds that households should have contact details for a plumber to hand¹⁴. Both take a minute and save time when something goes wrong.

Find your water company by postcode

Most people do not know the name of their water company, and there is no need to guess. If you are unsure who your water supplier is, you can find out by entering your postcode on the Water UK website². South East Water points customers to the same find-your-supplier page¹⁵, and Wiltshire and Swindon's preparedness site makes the case for doing it before you need it: it is good to know who supplies your water and which company you would need to contact in the event of something going wrong¹⁶.

Once you know the company, save its number in your phone and write it on a note kept with your emergency kit. Then check its website. Wiltshire and Swindon's guidance suggests looking at your local water company's website, where you can search on your postcode and see if there is anything going on in your area¹⁷. Essex & Suffolk Water offers an online map where you enter your address or postcode to find disruptions or work near you¹⁸.

Leaks on your own supply pipe: what your water company may help with

The pipe that carries water from the public main into your home is your supply pipe, and responsibility for it usually sits with you. That does not mean you are on your own. WaterSafe advises that if you have a leak on your supply pipe outside your home, you should check with your water supplier, as they may be able to help repair it⁷. If you spot a leaking pipe while out and about, report it to your local water company²¹.

Inside the home, the picture is different. If you have a leak on your supply pipe outside your home, check with your water supplier, as they may be able to help repair it¹⁸. If you are a non household customer, refer to your chosen retailer for further information¹⁴. So the practical order is: find the leak, ring your supplier to ask what they will do, then decide who repairs it before instructing a plumber.

Companies also publish repair targets for leaks on their own pipes, which tells you what to expect once a leak is reported. One company lists significant leaks within three working days and small or minor leaks within 15 working days²². If you are a non-household customer, refer to your chosen retailer for information about leaks on your supply pipe²².

After 12 hours without water: alternative supplies and who gets bottled water

There is no automatic right to bottled water, and it is worth knowing why. The Drinking Water Inspectorate notes that water companies may not always be able to provide an emergency supply of water in bowsers or bottles, for example if they have their own ongoing emergency such as a burst main²³. What you get depends on the incident, your company and your circumstances.

In practice, 12 hours is the point at which many companies act. Thames Water says that if your supply is not returned within 12 hours, it will arrange for an alternative, including bottled water stations⁴. The Consumer Council for Water notes that if water is off for over 12 hours, companies might offer an alternative supply like bottled water⁵. Southern Water asks customers to contact it if they have not received a delivery after 12 hours of losing supply²⁴.

While the supply is off, use bottled or other alternative water solely for drinking, washing your hands and food preparation³. That keeps your limited supply for the things that matter most. For more on what companies can provide and how stations work, see Bottled Supplies, Tankers and Bowsers From Your Water Company and Where Are Bottled Water Stations Set Up?.

Register for extra care if someone in your home needs water delivered

If anyone in your household is older, disabled, medically dependent or has limited mobility, the single most useful thing you can do is join your water company's priority register. Surrey County Council's guidance is plain: your water company will have an Extra Care register, which you can sign up to if you're eligible⁶. The register exists so the company knows who needs help before an incident, not during one.

What it provides varies. Northumbrian Water states that if your water supply is going to be off for more than six hours, it will do its best to make water available to you in another way, and that it delivers bottled water directly to the home for customers with limited mobility or who rely on water for medical reasons²⁵. Its Extra Care register also offers regular updates²⁶. That six-hour threshold is shorter than the 12 hours that generally applies, which is the point of registering.

If you care for someone, ask anyone you provide care for if they are registered, and if you believe you are registered but have not received support, contact your water company as soon as possible³. Do not assume a registration made years ago is still active. For more on support for households with additional needs, see Extra Help in an Emergency and Home Dialysis and Medical Needs During an Interruption.

Compensation when your supply is interrupted

Compensation is not automatic everywhere, and the rules differ by company. Bristol Water says it will automatically pay £50 if supply is not restored within 12 hours of being notified, plus an additional £50 for each further 12-hour period the supply remains unrestored⁸. It lists exclusions: no payment if you cannot be identified as affected, if a claim is not made within three months of the cut-off, if the interruption is due to drought or a disconnection under sections 61 or 62 of the Water Industry Act 1991, and payments are capped at twice your annual water supply charge⁸.

Wessex Water's scheme works differently. If your supply is interrupted for more than five hours, it will make alternative supplies available to you, and if it does not, you can claim £40 by contacting the company²⁷. For unplanned interruptions lasting more than 12 hours, it pays £50 automatically, sent within 20 working days by cheque²⁷.

The lesson is to check your own company's published position rather than assume. Look for its incident or compensation page, note what triggers a payment and whether you need to claim, and keep a record of when your supply went off. If you are unsure, ask your company directly.

Answers to common questions

Flooding from sewers. Report it to your water company. In Northern Ireland, contact NI Water for an overflowing public sewer⁹. In the South West, contact South West Water for flooding from sewers and water pipes¹¹. If you do not know the cause, the flooding incident line in Northern Ireland takes the report anyway¹². Keep children and pets away from the water.

Why updates may not reach you online. Company websites are not staffed around the clock. Essex & Suffolk Water provides regular updates to its website between 8am and 10pm¹⁸. Southern Water offers SMS text alerts, an incident map, social media updates and news on its website during larger incidents²⁴. Sign up for alerts in advance and do not rely on a single channel.

Hosepipe and temporary use bans. A hosepipe connected to a water butt or other recycled water storage system is not restricted, and animal welfare and unavoidable health and safety uses are not restricted either¹⁵. Everything else is covered. Bans and exemptions change, so check your company's current page.

Musty water after repairs. In summer, water taken from rivers and reservoirs sometimes has a musty or earthy smell or taste before it is treated, and treatment removes most of these smells and tastes, but less so in hot and dry weather²⁸. Run the tap and see whether it clears. If it persists, contact your company. For more, see Why Does My Tap Water Taste or Smell Different?.

Free water quality test results. Ask your water company, which tests public supplies routinely. If you are buying a home with a private supply, the Drinking Water Inspectorate warns that in the absence of any risk assessment or test results the quality of water may be unknown and potentially not of the required regulatory standard, and a risk to human health²⁹. Ask for the paperwork before you commit.

Lead pipes and replacement. Some companies run free replacement schemes. Northumbrian Water states there will be no charge from it to replace your lead pipes³⁰. Schemes can pause: Thames Water's lead replacement scheme closes in November and over the winter period and reopens in spring 2027³¹. Check your company's current position.

Commercial premises leak repairs. If you are a non-household customer, refer to your chosen retailer for information about leaks on your supply pipe²². Your retailer, not the local water company, is your route for business supply issues.