Drips waste more than you think
A dripping tap can waste a genuinely large amount of water over a year, and it usually means a worn washer, cartridge or seal that only gets worse, not better, with time.
General plumbing · Peterborough & Cambridgeshire
General Plumbing,Sorted Properly,First Time
Leaking pipe, dripping tap, toilet that will not stop filling, or a blockage that will not shift — a proper plumber, on time, with the cost agreed before any work starts. No half-measures, no coming back next month for the same job.
Quotes usually within 1 working day · Gas Safe registered 540834 · 76 Checkatrade reviews.
76 reviews
Verified on Checkatrade
1-year guarantee
On all workmanship
£5m / £10m
Public & employers' liability
Since 2012
Family-run, team of four
1 working day
Typical quote turnaround
What it is
The plumbing jobs that do not wait
General plumbing is everything that is not a boiler or a bathroom refit but still stops a house working properly — a tap that will not stop dripping, a toilet that runs constantly, a stopcock that will not turn, a burst pipe under the sink, or a sink that backs up every time you run water. None of it is glamorous work, and none of it should be left half-done, because water finds the weak point in a house faster than almost anything else.
We treat call-outs the same way whether the job is a five-minute washer change or a burst pipe flooding a kitchen: turn up when we say we will, find the actual cause rather than the easiest fix, explain what needs doing and what it costs, then do it properly. Quotes are usually turned around within 1 working day, and for anything urgent — an active leak, a burst pipe, no water at all — we prioritise getting someone to you fast rather than making you wait in a queue.
The same team that installs bathrooms and services boilers handles general plumbing, so you are getting a properly trained tradesperson rather than a handyman guessing at a compression joint. We are Gas Safe registered (540834) for anything that touches a gas appliance, and fully insured for £5m public liability and £10m employers' liability on every job, however small it looks from the outside.
Covering Peterborough and the surrounding Cambridgeshire towns — Yaxley, Hampton, Whittlesey, Huntingdon, Sawtry, Stilton, Stamford, Market Deeping, Ramsey, Oundle and beyond. Every repair carries our 1-year workmanship guarantee.
Who this is for
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Leaks, drips and damp patches
A tap that will not stop dripping, a joint that weeps under the sink, or a ceiling stain that keeps coming back. Small leaks are the cheap moment to act.
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Toilets and cisterns
Running constantly, refilling on its own, weak or non-existent flush, or water pooling around the base. All fixable without replacing the whole suite in most cases.
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Burst pipes and no water
A split pipe, a frozen section that has cracked, or water hammering through the system. This is genuine emergency territory — call rather than wait.
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Blockages that will not shift
Sinks, baths and toilets that drain slowly or not at all, and drains that gurgle or back up. Home remedies often move the blockage rather than clear it.
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Stopcocks and outside taps
A stopcock that will not turn when you need it most, or an outside tap that has split after a hard frost and now floods the garden every time it is used.
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Appliance plumbing
Washing machines, dishwashers and fridge-freezers that need connecting, moving or reworking — done properly so they do not leak behind a cabinet for months unnoticed.
What happens if it waits
A small drip is never just a small drip
Plumbing problems are almost always cheaper to fix on the day you notice them than three months later. Water damage compounds quietly behind walls, under floors and inside cabinets long before it becomes obvious.
Hidden leaks rot the building
A slow leak under a sink or behind a wall can go unnoticed for months, softening timber, rotting flooring and creating mould long before you see a visible sign of it.
A stuck stopcock turns a small leak into a flood
If you cannot shut the water off at the moment you need to, a manageable leak becomes a house full of water. This is one of the cheapest things to have checked and fixed in advance.
Burst pipes escalate fast
A burst under a floor or behind a cabinet can pour litres of water a minute into a house. The longer it runs before the supply is isolated, the bigger the damage bill.
Ignored blockages get worse
A slow drain rarely clears itself. Left alone it backs up further, can force water back the wrong way, and eventually blocks completely at the worst possible time.
DIY fixes often mask the real problem
A tightened joint or a bottle of drain unblocker can quiet a symptom for a week or two while the underlying fault — a failing seal, a collapsed section of pipe — carries on getting worse underneath.
Mistakes we get called out to fix
- Ignoring a dripping tap because it is 'only a drip' — washers and cartridges are a cheap fix now, a bigger job later.
- Pouring chemical drain unblocker down a toilet or an old pipe repeatedly instead of having the actual blockage found and cleared.
- Not knowing where your stopcock is, or finding out it does not turn, only in the middle of an actual leak.
- Leaving an outside tap unlagged over winter and having it split, then only noticing when it floods in spring.
- Getting an unqualified handyman to plumb in an appliance near a gas connection or an electrical circuit.
- Living with a slow-draining sink for months, then facing a full blockage and a much bigger repair.
Our process
Five steps from call to job done
01
You call or send details
Tell us what is happening and your postcode. For an active leak or burst pipe, call — it is faster than a form and we prioritise genuine emergencies.
02
We book you in
Quotes are usually turned around within 1 working day, and urgent jobs are fitted in as fast as the diary allows.
03
Inspection & diagnosis
We look at the actual fault — not just the symptom you can see — whether that is a worn cartridge, a collapsed pipe section or a failed seal.
04
Price agreed, then work carried out
You know the cost before anything is touched. The job is then carried out properly, with the area protected and left clean.
05
Test & guarantee
Everything is tested under normal use before we leave — water run, flush checked, joints inspected for weeping — and the work is covered by our 1-year workmanship guarantee.
What you get
Why customers call us for general plumbing
Fast, straight answers
Quotes usually within 1 working day, and we tell you plainly what the job actually needs rather than padding it out.
Priced before we start
You agree the cost before any work begins, so there is no surprise figure at the end of the job.
Fixed properly, not patched
We find the actual cause of a leak or blockage instead of quieting the symptom, so you are not paying for the same call-out twice.
Fully qualified and insured
Gas Safe registered 540834 for anything touching a gas appliance, plus £5m public liability and £10m employers' liability on every job.
Family-run, team of four
Trading since 2012 with 76 verified Checkatrade reviews — the same small team you can actually get hold of again.
Work backed for a year
Every repair carries our 1-year workmanship guarantee, so if something is not right afterwards, we come back and put it right.
In detail
Common plumbing jobs and how they are actually fixed
These are the general plumbing call-outs we see most often in Peterborough homes, what usually causes them, and what a proper repair involves.
Dripping and leaking taps
A drip from the spout is almost always a worn washer, O-ring or ceramic disc cartridge, depending on the tap type. A drip from around the base or the handle points at a perished seal rather than the tap mechanism itself. Either is a straightforward fix once the correct part is identified for that specific tap.
Where a tap is old, corroded internally, or simply worn out from years of use, patching it with another washer is a false economy — we will tell you honestly when replacement is the better spend rather than repeat call-outs on the same fitting.
Running and faulty toilets
A toilet that keeps running is almost always a worn flush valve or a float valve that is not shutting off the fill correctly. A weak flush is usually a partially blocked siphon or a flush valve not lifting fully. A toilet rocking or leaking at the base often means the pan connector or the fixing to the floor has failed.
We diagnose which component has actually failed rather than replacing the whole cistern mechanism on a guess, which keeps the repair quick and the cost down.
Burst and leaking pipes
A burst pipe needs the water isolated first — at the stopcock or the nearest local valve — then the section of failed pipe found and properly repaired or replaced, not just wrapped or clamped as a permanent fix. Common causes are frost damage to exposed pipework, a failed joint, or a pipe that has been nicked or worn through by something rubbing against it over time.
Where a burst has already caused water damage, we will tell you plainly what needs drying out or attention beyond the plumbing itself, so you are not left with a fixed pipe and a damp problem still growing behind it.
Blocked sinks, baths and drains
Most household blockages are grease, soap scum, hair or food waste built up inside the pipe rather than anything dropped down it. Chemical unblockers can shift a partial blockage but often just push it further along, and repeated use can damage older pipework.
We clear the blockage properly — mechanically where needed — and check the wider run for a slow fall or a partial collapse if the same drain keeps blocking, because a recurring blockage is usually telling you something about the pipe itself, not just what went down it.
Stopcocks and outside taps
A stopcock that will not turn is usually seized from years of not being used. Left alone, it means you cannot isolate the water quickly in an actual emergency. We free it off or replace it, and it is worth doing before you need it in a hurry.
Outside taps split most often from water left standing in the pipe during a hard frost. We repair or replace the tap and fit an isolation valve and drain-down point where there is not one, so the same failure does not happen again next winter.
Appliance plumbing
Connecting or moving a washing machine, dishwasher or fridge-freezer looks simple but a poorly made connection behind a cabinet can leak for months before it is noticed, quietly ruining flooring and cabinetry. We fit proper isolation valves and hose connections so the appliance can be shut off independently.
Where plumbing work sits near a gas appliance or existing gas pipework, that part of the job is carried out by our Gas Safe registered engineers, not left to guesswork.
Emergencies and where we cover
For an active leak, a burst pipe or no water at all, call rather than fill in a form — we prioritise genuine emergencies and aim to get to you as quickly as the diary allows across Peterborough and the surrounding area.
We cover Peterborough, Yaxley, Hampton, Whittlesey, Huntingdon, Sawtry, Stilton, Stamford, Market Deeping, Ramsey, Oundle and the wider Cambridgeshire area.
Free, no-obligation quote
Tell us what's leaking, dripping or blocked
Describe the problem and your postcode and we will tell you what is likely going on and what happens next. Quotes are usually turned around within 1 working day — and for active leaks or bursts, call us directly.
07921 123669Gas Safe registered 540834 · £5m public liability · 1-year workmanship guarantee
Common questions
General plumbing questions
How much does a general plumbing job cost?
It is quoted on the job because a dripping tap, a burst pipe and a blocked drain are very different amounts of work. We give you a price before anything is touched, and quotes are usually turned around within 1 working day.
Can you come out the same day for a leak?
For an active leak or burst pipe, call us rather than filling in a form — we prioritise genuine emergencies and get to you as fast as the diary allows.
What should I do if a pipe bursts?
Turn the water off at the stopcock immediately, then call us. Isolating the supply is the single most important thing to do before anyone arrives.
Do you replace outside taps?
Yes, including fitting an isolation valve and drain-down point so a frost-split tap is less likely to happen again.
Is my plumbing repair guaranteed?
Yes. All of our workmanship carries a 1-year guarantee.
Can you plumb in my washing machine or dishwasher?
Yes, including moving or adding connections, fitted with proper isolation valves so the appliance can be shut off independently.
Are you insured for plumbing work?
Yes. We carry £5m public liability and £10m employers' liability cover on every job, and we are Gas Safe registered (540834) for any work touching gas appliances.
How do I pay?
Card or bank transfer. On larger jobs a deposit may be required, and the amount is always agreed with you in advance.
Where we work
General Plumbing across Peterborough
We cover Peterborough and the surrounding Cambridgeshire towns from our base at 3 Nightingale Drive. See the full areas we cover or call to check your postcode.
- General Plumbing in Peterborough
- General Plumbing in Yaxley
- General Plumbing in Hampton
- General Plumbing in Whittlesey
- General Plumbing in Huntingdon
- General Plumbing in Sawtry
- General Plumbing in Stilton
- General Plumbing in Stamford
- General Plumbing in Market Deeping
- General Plumbing in Ramsey
- General Plumbing in Oundle
- General Plumbing in Cambridgeshire
Something needs fixing? Let's get it sorted.
Gas Safe registered 540834, 76 Checkatrade reviews, every repair backed by a 1-year workmanship guarantee.