Water pressure

If you have a problem with low or high water pressure, the advice below could help you to find and fix the issue.

1. Speak to your neighbours

Speak to your neighbour to see if their water pressure has also been affected.

If their pressure has changed, we may be carrying out work on our network.

If their pressure hasn’t changed, you may have an issue with your internal plumbing.

2. Check for work in your area

Emergency or planned work in your area could affect your water pressure. To find out if we are carrying out work near you, please check our 'work in your area' map.

If we are, your pressure should return to normal after it has finished.

If we are not, please carry out the following checks.

3. Check your stop tap

Make sure your inside stop tap is fully open – follow our advice on how to find your stop tap if you are unsure where it is.

If you recently used your stop tap, you may not have fully turned it back on which can cause a drop in water pressure.

If your stop tap has seized up or broken, this could be causing the issue, and you should contact a qualified plumber.

4. Run your cold water kitchen tap

If your cold water kitchen tap is working fine but you have low pressure everywhere else in your home, the problem is likely to be your internal plumbing. You are responsible for maintaining your internal plumbing, so please contact a qualified plumber.

5. Look for leaks

A drop in water pressure could be caused by a leak.

We can help with leaks outside your property or in the road or pavement, but leaks inside your home are your responsibility to fix.

Find out how to check for leaks if you think you could have one.

6. Check for frozen pipes

Pipes can freeze during cold weather, causing a drop in water pressure.

If there has recently been a cold spell, check your pipes for frost or condensation.

Find out how to thaw a frozen pipe if you find one at your property.

7. Contact us

If the steps above do not help identify the problem, please contact us and we’ll arrange a visit to test your water pressure.

After we have carried out our checks, we will provide you with written confirmation of the test results.

What to do if you have high water pressure

If you are experiencing high water pressure, please carry out the following checks.

1. Speak to your neighbours

If your cold water kitchen tap is affected and your neighbours are experiencing the same issue, there could be a problem with our water mains. Please contact us and we will investigate the issue.

2. Check your taps

If a tap other than your cold water kitchen tap is affected, there is probably an issue with your internal plumbing. You are responsible for this pipework, so please contact a qualified plumber.

Other factors that affect water pressure and flow

Your home’s pressure or flow can also be affected by:

• whether your home is above or below our service reservoir
• how close you live to one of our pumps
• the time of the day and demand in your local area
• the width or texture of a pipe
• a pump/regulator setting
• the level of water in an attic water tank
• the age of your property
• changing your appliances
• multiple appliances being used at the same time.