At the risk of pointing out the obvious, if you have a leaking pipe this is something that should be fixed straight away.

Leaking pipes can damage the structure of your home, cause metalwork to rust, soften wood, and ruin plaster. The damp created by a leak will also lead to mould and other nasties, creating an unhealthy environment.

Even a leak outside the home risks water getting into your home’s foundations and causing damage, and in all cases this is of course a waste of water – something you will be paying for if you are on a water meter.

Once you have identified the leaking pipe it should be fixed. You can apply a temporary fix or a full fix. In both cases the first job is to turn off the water supply to the pipe so you can address the problem without properly.

Most modern plumbing installations have several isolation valves installed throughout the plumbing network. This mean you can turn off the water supply to the leak without turning off the water supply to the rest of the house.

If you can’t find an isolator valve, then you should turn off the main water supply. This is done by turning off the house’s stopcock. The stopcock can be found in several different locations in the house. Check out how to find your stopcock.

Once the water supply has been turned off you can try to fix the pipe either with a temporary or permanent fix.

A permanent fix will require fully replacing the damaged pipe and you will need good DIY skills to do this.

A temporary fix will involve buying some pipe sealant – usually a tape of some kind – and applying this to the leak.

If you have applied a temporary fix you will of course need this fixed properly in due course.

If you need help fixing a pipe or turning your temporary fix in to a permanent one you can hire a Local Hero.