In short

• Turn off the stopcock first. Switch off the electrics for the affected rooms only if the fuse box is dry.
• Photograph the damage before you clean up, and speak to your insurer before any permanent repair.
• Bee Maintenance attends burst water pipes 24 hours a day in Solihull and aims to reach call-outs within an hour.

When a pipe bursts, the water keeps coming until someone shuts it off, so the first few minutes decide how much of your home it reaches. This guide covers those first steps, who is responsible for which pipe, and what to tell your insurer.

What should I do in the first five minutes after a pipe bursts?

Turn off the water at the stopcock. It is usually under the kitchen sink, in a utility cupboard or airing cupboard, or close to where the mains enters the property. Next, go to the fuse box and switch off the power to the affected rooms, but only if the fuse box is dry. If it is in a wet area, leave it alone and call an electrician.

Open all the cold taps to drain what is left in the pipes and take the pressure off. Then catch drips with buckets, mop up with towels, and move furniture, electronics and valuables out of the way. Only do what is safe. If water is running near live electrics, get everyone clear first.

How quickly can Bee Maintenance reach me in Solihull?

Bee Maintenance attends burst water pipes 24 hours a day across Solihull, including Shirley, Knowle and Dorridge. The team aims to reach Solihull call-outs within an hour. Out-of-hours call-outs cost more than daytime visits.

Bee Maintenance has been trading for three years and is SafeContractor accredited.

Is it my pipe or the water company’s?

The water company owns the main in the street and the pipe that runs up to your property boundary, including the external stop tap, which is usually in the footpath. You are responsible for the supply pipe from the boundary into your home, and for the pipes and fittings inside it. In Solihull the water company is Severn Trent Water.

So water pooling in the pavement or road points to the water company, while water in your garden or house is normally yours to deal with. A leaking supply pipe often shows up as reduced pressure at the cold kitchen tap, or as a damp or waterlogged patch in the garden during dry weather. If the water is coming from a drain rather than a water pipe, ownership works differently: see our guide to who is responsible for a blocked public sewer in Solihull.

Will my home insurance cover the damage, and what should I do before it is repaired?

Most home insurance policies include escape of water cover, which applies to damage from a burst or leaking pipe. The detail varies between insurers, so check your policy wording. Some exclude certain pipes, such as external pipes above ground.

Take photos and video of the damage before you start cleaning up. Contact your insurer before you arrange any permanent repair. An emergency fix to stop the water is normally fine, but permanent repairs generally need the insurer’s approval first, and doing the work without it can put the claim at risk.

Why do pipes burst, and can the ground play a part?

Freezing weather is the most common cause. Water expands as it freezes and can split the pipe. The ground matters too. Clay soil swells when it is wet and shrinks when it dries, and the British Geological Survey notes that this movement can affect pipes and services buried in the top couple of metres. Bee Maintenance’s local work includes heavy clay soils in Shirley and Knowle.

Ground movement can crack drains as well as water pipes. If you suspect a drain, a CCTV drain survey shows what is happening underground without any digging.

Emergency call-outs feel expensive. Is that fair?

Out-of-hours work costs more than a daytime visit, and Bee Maintenance does not publish a fixed call-out price. Set that against what a burst pipe does while it runs: the longer the water flows, the more gets into floors, walls and fittings, and drying out and repairing that damage can be the bigger bill.

Pipe burst right now?

Shut off the stopcock first, then contact Bee Maintenance. If there is a live electrical hazard alongside the water, get everyone clear and treat it as an electrical emergency before anything else.