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uk Home & property emergencies pipes starting to freeze • taps slowing or sputtering • no water from taps • low water pressure sudden • frozen pipe suspected • pipe frozen in loft • pipe frozen under sink • pipe frozen in garage • stopcock location unsure • inside stop tap • turn off water supply • thaw frozen pipe safely • cold tap trickle • water only dripping • winter plumbing emergency • prevent burst pipe • pipe about to burst • heating on during cold snap • tenant frozen pipes

What to do if…
you suspect your pipes are starting to freeze and the taps are slowing or sputtering

Short answer

If you can, turn off your inside stop tap (stopcock) before you start thawing, then leave a cold tap slightly open and use only gentle heat (no flames).

Do not do these things

  • Don’t use a blowtorch, naked flame, or anything that burns to warm a pipe.
  • Don’t apply intense heat to one small spot (rapid heating can crack pipes or fittings).
  • Don’t keep forcing taps on/off repeatedly to “blast it through”.
  • Don’t turn the water supply back on quickly; introduce water slowly while watching for leaks.
  • Don’t ignore damp patches, bulging pipe sections, or dripping that appears during thawing.

What to do now

  1. Locate your inside stop tap (stopcock) and turn it off if you can.
    It’s often under the kitchen sink, but can be in a cupboard, under stairs, downstairs toilet, garage, or cellar. Turn it clockwise until it stops.
  2. Open the affected cold tap slightly and leave it that way.
    A slight opening helps relieve pressure as ice melts and can help water move once thawing starts.
  3. Do a fast leak-risk check before you warm anything.
    Check under sinks, around toilets, in the loft/garage, and any visible pipe runs. If you see active leaking, keep the stop tap off.
  4. Gently warm the suspected frozen section (no flames).
    • Start near the tap end and work along the pipe.
    • Use warm air from a hairdryer (kept moving, not too close) or hot water bottles/heat packs held against the pipe.
    • Keep the cold tap slightly open while warming.
  5. Warm the area around the pipe.
    Open cupboard doors under sinks; safely let warm air reach pipework in cold spaces. Keep the home warm so the pipe doesn’t refreeze.
  6. When water starts flowing, keep it slow and watch for leaks.
    Before turning the stop tap back on, put towels/paper under exposed joints and along the pipe run you can see. Then turn the stop tap on slowly and watch every exposed section for several minutes.
  7. If you’re a tenant or in managed housing: report it as an urgent repair.
    Use your landlord/agent/housing repairs route and say: “suspected frozen pipe, taps slowing/sputtering; I’ve left a tap slightly open and turned the stop tap off/on cautiously; please treat as urgent to prevent a burst.”
  8. If you can’t find/access the frozen section, flow doesn’t return, or you’re not confident:
    Contact an emergency plumber. If you have home emergency cover, use its emergency line. (Watersafe can help you find an approved plumber.)

What can wait

  • You do not need to decide about insurance claims right now.
  • You do not need to start major DIY (opening walls, draining down everything, or re-insulating today).
  • You can do photos/notes later once water is stable and there’s no active leak.

Important reassurance

A slowing or sputtering tap is a common early warning sign in cold weather. Acting early with pressure relief and gentle warming often prevents the worst damage.

Scope note

These are first steps to stabilise and reduce the chance of a burst. If there’s any leak, repeated freezing, or you can’t access the pipe run, you’ll likely need a plumber/repairs service.

Important note

This is general information and may not fit every property (for example communal systems, unusual layouts, or hard-to-reach pipework). If you smell gas, see electrical arcing, or there’s flooding near electrics, prioritise safety and get professional help.

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