HERTFORDSHIRE, BEDFORDSHIRE & CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Emergency Plumber in Cambridge
A burst under a Mill Road terrace floor or water coming through a ceiling in Chesterton: ring 01462 506 374 at any hour, talk to a person and hear the charges first.
Leak now, or leak tomorrow
The question that decides it is simple: is water still escaping, or has it reached anything electrical? If you have stopped it and nothing is live, most jobs can wait for a weekday between 8am and 5pm, when there is no call-out fee.
Call straight away for a ceiling bulging with water, a pipe that keeps running after the stopcock is shut, sewage coming up inside, no water at all, or a leak running down into the flat below.
A dripping tap, a cistern that will not stop filling or a joint you have isolated at its own valve will cost you less in daylight.
Get a fixed price before we start
Call and talk to an engineer, or send us the details and we will come back to you with a price.
Your first moves
Stopcock: close it clockwise, gently if it is stiff
Local valve: a quarter turn on the slotted screw under a toilet or basin
Power: switch off affected circuits at the consumer unit, from dry ground only
Heat: turn off the boiler and any immersion heater
Drain: open the lowest cold tap until it stops running
If the stopcock inside will not move, the stop tap under a small cover at the pavement or front boundary is the fallback. Do not force a seized valve; a broken one makes the leak worse.
Where to look for the stopcock
Terraces around Mill Road
Most of these two storey gault brick terraces went up between 1880 and the early twentieth century. The valve is usually under the kitchen sink or low on the front room wall where the main enters, often boxed in behind units fitted much later.
Arbury, King’s Hedges and Chesterton
The council built Arbury from 1957. In houses of that era, try under the sink first, then the hall or understairs cupboard.
Newer estates
At Great Kneighton, Trumpington Meadows and Darwin Green, look in a service cupboard near the front door, sometimes next to a labelled manifold that isolates individual circuits.
Flats and student lets
Many terraces have been split into flats or let to students. There should be a valve inside each flat. If you rent, ask the landlord where it is on the day you move in.
Eddington’s second set of pipes
Homes at Eddington in North West Cambridge were built with a separate non-potable network that carries recycled rainwater for toilet flushing and irrigation, alongside the normal drinking water supply.
In a leak that means two sources to consider. Tell us you are at Eddington when you ring, and if you know which network is leaking, say so; it changes which valve needs closing.
What we deal with
Burst and split pipes, joints weeping under floors, overflowing cisterns and tanks, leaking hot water cylinders and their valves, and properties that have lost water altogether while the street is fine.
Also blocked toilets, sinks and drains, and failed shower or heating pumps. The vans are stocked for the common repairs, and the engineers are our own staff rather than subcontractors.
Answered by a person, day or night
A genuine 24 hour line, the charges explained before anyone sets off, and the common parts on the van.
On the phone
Ring 01462 506 374 and a person answers, day or night. We ask what is leaking, whether you have stopped it, what sort of home it is and which part of the city you are in.
Before anyone sets off, you are told the call-out charge if one applies, the rate for that time of day and the deposit. Then you choose whether to go ahead.
How night and weekend visits are charged
There is no call-out fee for a Cambridge visit between 8am and 5pm on a weekday. Plumbing is £140 + VAT (£168 including VAT) for the first hour, which is the minimum, then £60 + VAT for every half hour after.
Outside those hours, each attendance adds a call-out of £50 + VAT (£60 including VAT) on top of the hourly rate, and the out of hours rate is quoted before we set off. Half of the first hour is paid up front on reactive call-outs, and if the job turns out bigger than described, the engineer stops and prices it first. See our prices.
Hidden leaks and what comes after
A stain on a ceiling or a water meter that keeps turning does not mean floors have to come up. Pipework can be isolated and pressure tested a section at a time to find where the water is going. Leak detection in Cambridge explains the approach.
Making good, such as replastering or new flooring, usually follows through insurance. Ask the engineer for a written note of what failed and what was repaired; insurers normally want it.
If you are in one of the city’s conservation areas, such as Mill Road, De Freville or Newnham Croft, mention it before any pipework on the outside of the building is changed.
If you can smell gas
Leave the building, do not use light switches or anything with a flame, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 once you are outside.
When they have made the supply safe, our Gas Safe engineers (registration 956889) can repair the fault. Our work carries a 12 month labour guarantee.
★★★★★
Rated 4.9 on Google by the people we work for
Why choose Vantage
Rated 4.9 on Google from more than 700 reviews across Google, Checkatrade and Trustatrader. Qualified, accredited engineers, a fixed price before any work begins and a labour guarantee on every job, from an established local company with an office team you can actually reach. No job too small.
Gas Safe registered
Company registration 956889. Every gas engineer carries their own Gas Safe ID card, and you can ask to see it.
Refcom F-Gas certified
REF1024550. Legally required for air conditioning installation and servicing, and we hold it.
CHAS Elite accredited
Veriforce CHAS assessed for health and safety, which is why commercial clients and landlords use us.
City & Guilds and BPEC qualified
Qualified, insured engineers on every job. No subcontracted strangers.
700+ reviews, 4.9 on Google
Across Google, Checkatrade and Trustatrader. Read them before you book.
Labour guarantee on every job
12 months on repairs, installations and everything else. Two years on a full bathroom refit. If anything we did develops a fault, we come back and put it right.
Fixed price before we start
The price is agreed with you before any work begins. No hidden extras on the invoice.
24/7, answered by a person
The emergency line is answered every day of the year by someone who can send an engineer, not a call centre.
Fully stocked vans
Five vans carrying the parts that fail most often, so most jobs are fixed on the first visit.
An office team behind every job
An established local business with multiple engineers and a dedicated office team to keep you informed.
Vaillant myREWARDS and Ideal Max accredited
Accredited installer status means extended manufacturer warranties on the boilers we fit.
Emergency response within the hour
Our average response to an emergency call is under an hour across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
Trusted & Accredited Professionals
Frequently asked questions
Is water leaking into the flat below an emergency?
Yes. Close your own valve, warn the neighbour below and call us, because water between flats can reach wiring quickly.
Where is the stopcock in a Mill Road terrace?
Usually under the kitchen sink or low on the front room wall, often hidden behind later kitchen units.
What does a night call-out cost in Cambridge?
A £50 + VAT (£60 including VAT) call-out per attendance, added to the out of hours rate we quote before setting off.
Who is responsible for the pipe outside my house?
Cambridge Water looks after its main and the pipe up to your boundary stop tap. From there into the house, the supply pipe is yours.
Does Eddington have a separate water network?
Yes. A non-potable network carries recycled rainwater for toilet flushing and irrigation, alongside the drinking water supply.
Can a running overflow wait until morning?
Usually. Close the isolation valve on the cistern feed and book a weekday visit to avoid the call-out charge.
Is anything paid in advance?
Yes. For a reactive call-out in Cambridge, 50% of the first hour is paid when you book.
What if I am a student renting and the landlord is not answering?
Close the stopcock or the valve in your flat and call us. We will tell you the cost before anyone comes, so you can decide or reach your landlord first.
Areas we cover around Cambridge
We cover all five city postcode districts, CB1 to CB5: Romsey, Petersfield and Coleridge, Newnham and Castle, Chesterton, Arbury and King’s Hedges, and Cherry Hinton, Queen Edith’s and Trumpington.
That includes Eddington, Great Kneighton and Darwin Green. For planned work, see plumbers in Cambridge.
Leak in Cambridge that will not stop
Get the stopcock closed, stay clear of wet electrics and call 01462 506 374. A person picks up at any hour and gives you the cost before we set off.
Related services
Repairs, leaks and installations
Found without the digging
Kitchen, bathroom and outside
Cleared the same day
All makes, Gas Safe engineers
Every rate, published