What is a water supply pipe?
This is the pipe which is connected to our water main in the street and delivers water into your home.
What is United Utilities responsible for?
We’re responsible for maintaining and repairing more than 40,000km of water mains across the North West - that’s enough to stretch right around the world! These mains supply 1.8 billion litres of water to our 7 million customers every day.
We are also responsible for the section of the water supply pipe that runs:
- From the water main in the road
- To the boundary of your property
This section of the water supply pipe is called the communication pipe.
If you notice a leak on the road, pavement, or anywhere on this section of pipe, please report it to us so we can investigate and arrange any necessary repairs.
What are you responsible for?
As the homeowner, you are responsible for maintaining and repairing the supply pipe, which carries water from the boundary of your property into your home.
This includes:
- Repairing and maintaining the supply pipe and external stop taps on your property, including any leaks
- Maintaining and repairing all the plumbing inside your home
Sometimes, the pipe supplying your home may run under neighbouring gardens, driveways or shared land before reaching your property. If the pipe only supplies your home, you're usually responsible for maintaining it, even where part of the pipe is outside your property boundary.
Some supply pipes serve more than one property. These are called shared or common supply pipes. All homeowners supplied by the shared pipe are jointly responsible for maintaining it, while each homeowner is responsible for the branch pipe that serves their own property.
If you live in a rented property, check with your landlord about the responsibility to repair the leak.
If you discover a leak on your supply pipe, you may be eligible for assistance through our Private Leak Investigation Scheme.
Single supply pipes
Common supply pipes
Know where your stop tap is
If you’re unlucky enough to experience a burst pipe inside your home or need to turn off your water supply, it’s important to know where your stop tap is located. You can usually find it under the kitchen sink or in a downstairs toilet.
The stop tap is your responsibility to maintain, so it’s always a good idea to check that it’s working properly. In an emergency, being able to shut off your water supply quickly can help prevent serious damage to your home.
If you discover that your stop tap isn’t working, visit WaterSafe to find a qualified plumber in your local area.
External stop taps in the street
External stop taps are usually found on the public footpath in the street outside your home. These external stop taps are our responsibility. They’re not intended for customer use, so if you need to turn your water supply on or off, please use your internal stop tap instead.
Find your stop tap and check that it works
Your stop tap controls the flow of water into your home. It’s usually found under the kitchen sink, or sometimes in the cellar or garage. It’s handy to know where it is so you can turn the water off quickly if your pipes freeze or burst.
Found it? Make sure your stop tap is working. It's also worth checking if your household Insurance covers burst pipes.
Bursts on your water supply pipe
As a household customer, you are responsible for the maintenance of all the plumbing within your home and also the external pipework, which is located within the boundary of your property.
If you need to find a plumber in your area, please visit the WaterSafe website.
If you're unlucky enough to experience a burst on your water supply pipe (the underground pipe that transports water from our main in the street into your home), we may be able to help with the repair under our private leak investigation scheme (PDF 571 KB opens in a new window). You can find full details of the scheme in our leakage code of practice (PDF 173 KB opens in a new window).
Also, if you have a water meter, you are entitled to claim for the cost of the water lost during the time you had the leak. You can read more about this here.
New water supply pipes
To find out more about new water supply connections click here.