In most cases when you discover you have no water, it is likely your local water provider has temporarily shut off the water for repairs. Please use this guide to help diagnose the problem and get help.

Are your neighbours affected?

If your neighbours have also lost their water supply then you can be fairly certain that this is a temporary loss of supply in your area, and you should contact your local water supplier for more information.

Check the whole house

If the problem is isolated to your home, check all your cold taps. Checking hot taps can be deceptive because your hot water system may have a storage tank that would allow hot water to flow regardless.

If you get water from some cold taps but not others, allow it to run for a few seconds to make sure that this isn’t just the water stored in the pipes flowing out. Be sure to turn the taps off after you check, even if no water is coming out.

If all cold taps are affected, but your neighbours are unaffected, the most likely cause is that one of your stopcocks has been turned off. Please use our guide if you’re unsure where these are and make sure they are fully open.

If the problem persists you may need to contact your local water supplier, as the issue may be with the supply pipe to your property.

What if only some taps are affected?

If the problem is limited to only some cold taps, the problem is likely to be either with the pipe that supplies those taps, or with a valve that controls the supply.

If you’ve recently had plumbing work carried out, it’s possible the water was not turned back on for these outlets. Please read more about in-line valves in our guide. If in doubt, you will need to call a plumber.

If you’re experiencing problems but have not had plumbing work done, and you are within the two-year warranty period for your home, please get in touch with us.

Frozen pipes

In extremely cold weather it’s possible that the water in your pipes could freeze. If there has been a severe cold snap and you suspect frozen pipes:

• Check first that your water company hasn’t turned off your supply.
• Turn off the water using the stopcock and drain the system by flushing toilets and letting taps run.
• Turn off your central heating.
• Once you’ve checked for any damage, turn on all the taps and thaw the pipes with warm towels or a hot water bottle.
• Once the pipes have thawed, turn off the taps and switch the supply back on at the stopcock.
• If you now discover leaks or other damage, call an approved plumber.