At a glance
- Available
- 24 hours, every day
- First thing to do
- Turn off the stopcock
- Smell gas?
- 0800 111 999
- Mains or street problem
- United Utilities
Emergency Plumber St Helens Locals Can Call Any Time
A burst pipe at 2am is stressful for anyone. We run a 24/7 emergency plumbing service, every day of the year, across the whole St Helens borough. When you phone, you speak directly to Matthew Birchall, the plumber who turns up at your door. Unlike many emergency plumbers, there's no call centre and no big team.
We cover every area of the borough (WA9, WA10, WA11, WA12, Rainhill, Garswood and Billinge), from Haydock to Sutton. Locals, landlords and businesses in St Helens contact us whenever water is going where it shouldn't. You get the same service at 3am as at 3pm.
When to Call Emergency Plumbers
If water is escaping and you can't stop it, or you've lost something you can't do without, it's a plumbing emergency. Here are the plumbing issues locals call about most.
- Burst pipes, split by frost or damaged by a nail or drill
- A major leak through a ceiling, wall or floor
- No water supply at all, once you've ruled out issues with the mains in your area
- Overflowing or blocked toilets, when it's the only one in the home
- No heating or hot water with a baby or elderly relative at home
- A leaking hot water cylinder
- Water near sockets, lights or the consumer unit
A dripping tap or slow sinks can usually wait for a normal appointment, and our everyday plumbing repairs service covers those. If you're unsure, contact us and describe what's happening. A good plumber will tell you honestly whether it needs a visit tonight or a daytime quote.
| Problem | Do this now | When to call |
|---|---|---|
| Burst pipe or pouring leak | Turn off the stopcock. Switch off electrics if water is near them | Now, any time |
| Water coming through a ceiling | Stopcock off, keep clear, isolate lights at the fuse board | Now, any time |
| No heating or hot water | Check the boiler pressure, thermostat and power | Now if someone vulnerable is at home |
| Overflowing toilet (your only one) | Turn off the isolation valve on the cistern feed | Now, any time |
| Dripping tap or running toilet | Isolate it at the valve if it's bad | Book in |
| No water at all | Ask neighbours and check United Utilities | Call if it's only your home |
Smell gas? Call 0800 111 999 first
If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 first, open the windows and avoid switches or naked flames. Once it's safe, Matthew can repair the appliance, as only Gas Safe registered engineers can legally work on gas.
Burst Pipe in St Helens? What to Do While You Wait
If you spot a burst, acting fast in the first few minutes can protect your home from water damage and flooding. Don't worry about doing it perfectly. Work through these steps while your plumber is on the way:
- Close the stopcock. Its usual location is under the kitchen sink. Twist it clockwise until it stops.
- Switch off the electrics if water is near sockets, lights or the fuse board. Never touch the consumer unit while standing in water.
- Drain the system down. Open the cold taps and flush the toilets so the pipes empty quickly.
- Switch off the central heating and the immersion heater.
- Move valuables away from any flooding.
- Take photos of the burst pipe and the damage for your insurance.
If the stopcock is seized, there's usually an outside stop tap near the boundary. Don't force a stiff valve, as an old valve can snap and turn a small leak into a bigger problem.
What Happens When You Phone Us
When you call our 24/7 service on 07759 813431, describe the plumbing problem: where the water is coming from, how fast, and whether you've shut it off. Matthew will give fast, clear advice over the phone and an arrival window, so you're not left to worry. Photos sent by text help him spot the problem quickly.
On arrival, the first job is to make it safe and stop the water. Most plumbing issues we can fix there and then, as the van carries common plumbing fittings and the right tools. If a part has to be ordered, we make the property safe and come back to finish the repair with minimal disruption.
Larger jobs, such as replacing damaged pipes or a cylinder replacement, are planned as separate work once the emergency is under control. You'll get a written quote for the job first, with no fuss. Our burst pipe and leak repair service covers the repair, and our leak detection page explains how we track down hidden leaks.
Lost Your Water Supply? Check With United Utilities
If the taps in your St Helens home have run dry, the problem might not be yours. Check the United Utilities service updates for burst mains in your area. If your neighbours have no water either, it's almost certainly the mains and they will repair it.
If it's only your property, the cause is likely on your side, such as frozen pipes, a stopcock needing replacement or a leak on your supply pipe. The public mains and anything up to your boundary stop tap belong to the water company. Water pipes inside your property are yours or your landlord's, and that's where a plumber can find and repair the fault.
Local Plumber, Full Plumbing Services in St Helens
Being based in St Helens, we know the area and spend less time on the road. You deal with the same plumber from the first phone call to the finished work, and St Helens locals like that. Plenty of customers come back for everyday plumbing services, from leaks under sinks to a toilet repair.
Matthew is a plumber and one of the Gas Safe engineers on the register (number 653634), so his expertise covers heating emergencies too. Customers call us for our boiler repair service and central heating faults as well as water pipes. He'll install a new part rather than patch damaged pipes, to ensure the same issues don't come back.
Emergency Plumbers' Prices in St Helens and What Affects the Cost
Most emergency plumbers and heating engineers charge more out of hours, as they work nights, weekends and bank holidays. Prices depend on the time of day, how long the repair takes, the parts needed and how easy it is to get access to the pipes. A water leak under a bath panel is quicker to reach than one under a tiled floor.
Any call-out charge for an emergency visit is explained on the phone before we set off, and we quote before any repair work starts, so customers get no surprises. If a temporary fix gets you through the night and the full repair can wait for daylight at a lower cost, we'll say so and give you a quote for the rest. Like most good tradespeople, we stick to the quote, fix it properly once and do an honest job.