When a pipe bursts, turn the water off at the inside stop tap first, turning it clockwise. Look under the kitchen sink before anywhere else, then a downstairs toilet, the garage, a cellar or under the stairs. Turn it slowly and never force it, as too much force can damage it. If it will not turn, ring a plumber.
If water may have reached the electrics, switch the power off at the fuse box and leave wet sockets and wiring alone. Check the ceilings too. A bulge means water is pooling above, so keep everyone clear in case it comes down.
With the stop tap off, flush the toilets and open the cold taps over the sinks and bath to drain the pipes. Switch off the central heating and any immersion heater while the system is empty. Then soak up what you can with towels and buckets, and move belongings away from the wet.
The sooner the water is off, the less there is to dry out. Find your stop tap now and check it turns every six months. If a pipe does burst, keep the water off and ring me to repair it. I do plumbing across Preston, and at Fylde Bathrooms & GM Plumbing I fit bathrooms and tile too. So if the water has spoilt a bathroom floor or wall, I can put the room right as well as the pipe.
