Emergency repairs

Please note that Emergency repairs cannot be reported online, however you can report them by ringing 0300 555 5561.

The following are considered to be examples of an emergency repair:

Emergency repairs will be attended to within 24 hours.

Below is some advice on what to do if you have an emergency situation.

I think I may have a gas leak, what should I do?

Turn off the gas supply;
Open the doors and windows;
Do not use matches or naked flames;
Do not turn light switches on or off;
Turn off your cooker and fire;
Put out any cigarettes;
Contact the Gas emergency service on 0800 111 999; and
Let our Customer Service Centre know as soon as possible by ringing 0300 555 5561.
Please do not use paraffin or gas-bottled heating equipment, or use or store dangerous materials like paraffin in or near your home. They are a fire and explosive risk and could mean that our property insurance is not valid.

I have found a burst pipe, what should I do?

Turn off the water supply at the stopcock (usually near to the sink or toilet), and turn off your central-heating system and water-heating equipment;
Turn on all taps to empty water from the system; and
Let our Customer Services Centre know as soon as possible by ringing 0300 555 5561.
To prevent frost damage to water pipes and toilet cisterns in winter;
Keep your home warm;
Put insulation round your water pipes;
Turn off the main water supply if you are leaving your home empty for a while in winter; and
If a pipe still freezes, try to thaw it out with a hot-water bottle, electric fan heater or hairdryer. Do not use a naked flame.

If a fire starts in my home, what should I do?

Put your safety and the safety of anybody else in the property first;
Get out as quickly as possible, closing the doors behind you;
Once you are out, phone the fire brigade on 999;
Tell your neighbours in case the fire spreads;
Do not go back into the property until the fire brigade has said it is safe to do so;
Let our Customer Services Centre know as soon as possible by ringing 0300 555 5561
To reduce the risk of fire;
Fit smoke alarms, check the batteries every week and replace the batteries once a year;
Use fireguards around all open fires;
Do not hang clothes around fires or on any sort of heater;
Keep matches away from children;
Do not leave chip pans unattended;
Do not overload electrical sockets;
Do not use electrical equipment in the bathroom;
Close all the doors inside your home at night, to slow down the spread of fire if one breaks out; and
Make sure you have a plan of how you would escape from your home if there ever was a fire.

To improve security in your home and reduce the risk of a break-in:

always lock doors and windows when you go out;
never leave keys where they could be found, for example, under the door mat;
do not leave cash or valuables lying around;
if you will be out during the evening, close the curtains and leave a light on;
cancel your newspapers, milk and so on, and tell your friends or the police when you go on holiday; and
check the identity of anyone who calls at your home.

If a piece of electrical equipment fuses or you receive an electric shock:

turn off the electric supply at the mains;
check the equipment and the wiring in the plug, and deal with the problem if you can do so safely, but if you are not sure, tell our Customer Services Centre on 0300 555 5561.
Do not wire more than one piece of electrical equipment to one plug, or plug electrical equipment into light sockets.
Never take electrical equipment into the bathroom or touch electrical equipment with wet hands.
Do not overload electrical sockets by using adapters, damaged flex, or the wrong fuses.