When a pipe bursts, turn the water off at the inside stop tap first, clockwise. It's usually under the kitchen sink, but it can hide in a downstairs toilet, the garage, a cellar or under the stairs. Go gently with it. Force can damage a stop tap, so if it won't budge, don't fight it and ring a plumber. It's worth finding yours now, before you ever need it.
If water might have reached the electrics, switch off at the fuse box and leave wet sockets and wiring well alone. Then look up. A bulging ceiling means water is pooling above it, so keep everyone out from under it in case it comes down.
With the stop tap off, flush the toilets and run the cold taps over the sinks and baths to empty the pipes. Turn off the central heating and any immersion heater, so nothing heats up while the system is empty. Then it's towels, buckets and getting the furniture out of the wet.
The quicker the water goes off, the less of it soaks into your floors, ceilings and belongings. Keep it off and get a plumber to fix the pipe as soon as you can. I'm Mark at GC Building and Landscaping. Burst pipes are one of the Small Plumbing Jobs I take on across Lowestoft, so give me a ring.
