The first five minutes decide how bad this gets. Here's exactly what to do, in order, before anyone arrives.
What should I do about a burst pipe in Larne right now? Turn the water off at the main stopcock — usually under the kitchen sink — then open the cold taps to drain the pipes, and switch off any electrics near the water at the consumer unit if it's safe to reach. Once the flow has stopped, call 020 4577 2888 to be connected with a local plumber.
Don't chase the water with towels first — cut off the supply. Everything else is easier once the pipe is no longer pressurised.
If a tap ran to a dribble during freezing weather and then a leak appeared as things warmed up, a frozen pipe that split is the likely story. The damp, changeable coastal winters here catch under-insulated pipework out — especially in lofts, garages and external walls along the coast road through Ballygally and up towards Glenarm. If a pipe is frozen but not yet leaking, shut the stopcock as a precaution and thaw it gently with a hairdryer on low or warm towels. Never put a naked flame anywhere near a pipe. If it has already split, leave the water off — thawing with the supply on just turns ice into a flood.
Only as a stopgap. Pipe repair tape or a slip-on clamp can hold a small split on a drained pipe for a while, but it isn't a fix, and repressurising against a taped joint is a gamble. Be extra cautious in older properties: the Victorian and Edwardian terraces around Larne, and mid-century homes with plumbing updated piecemeal over the decades, often mix pipework of very different ages, where disturbing one fragile joint can cause a second leak. Keep the water off and let a plumber make the permanent repair.
Simple test: if the leak stops when your stopcock is closed, the problem is inside your own system. If water keeps coming with the stopcock shut — or it's bubbling up outside — the fault is likely on the supply pipe or the mains itself. As a general rule in the UK, the supply pipe from your boundary into the house is the owner's responsibility, while leaks on the public side are the water utility's — in Northern Ireland, NI Water's side of things. Whether you're in Larne town or out towards Islandmagee, a plumber can help you work out which side of the boundary the problem sits on.
Usually under the kitchen sink, or wherever the water supply enters the house — sometimes a hallway or utility cupboard, or under an external cover near the property boundary. If it's stiff or seized, don't force it hard enough to snap it; a plumber can free or replace it.
If the burst is on the heating or hot water side, or you've drained the system through the cold taps, switch the boiler off until a plumber has looked at it. Running a boiler with little or no water in the system can damage it.
Many UK buildings policies cover damage from escape of water, but excesses and terms vary, and failures put down to wear and tear may be treated differently. Check your own policy, tell your insurer promptly, and take photographs of the damage before you clear up.
Turn the water off at the stopcock and switch the electricity off at the consumer unit if you can do so safely — never touch switches or fittings that are wet. Keep clear of a badly sagging ceiling. Piercing a small hole in a slight bulge, with a bucket underneath, can let water out in a controlled way.
The main page — what this line is and how it works.
Go to home →Pressure basics, no heat, error codes — and gas safety.
Read the guide →What to try first and when it's a main-drain problem.
Read the guide →Honest ballparks and the questions to ask before work starts.
Read the guide →Call any time, day or night, to be connected with a local plumber covering Larne and the surrounding villages.
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