Frozen Pipes

We are very sorry you have experienced an unplanned interruption to your water supply. In this event it is always our priority to restore the supply as soon as possible, regardless of the scale of the disruption. An unplanned interruption to your water supply is normally caused by a water mains pipe bursting on our network. We proactively manage our vast network of pipes, however unforeseen bursts do sometimes occur.

A water mains pipe burst can vary in size or complexity and other factors, such as traffic management or the location of the burst can affect the time to repair the pipe. The location and elevation of your property on our water network can also influence how soon the water will be restored to your property - for example the burst pipe may be repaired, but water has to recharge throughout the network. This means that properties at a higher elevation and/or further distance from the burst may take longer to receive full restoration of supply and pressure.

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For households with combination boiler systems (normally operated without the need for a hot water storage unit) the central heating system should continue to operate as normal. However a hot water system, which is normally fed directly from the mains water supply, will not operate until the water supply is restored.

We usually restore water supplies within a reasonable time. However, if we are unable to do so, we will provide alternative water supplies. 

Scottish Water has a confidential service for Priority Services Customers that customers with additional needs can sign up to free of charge. Customers who require additional assistance may include the elderly, young children or those with a disability or medical condition that requires a constant supply of water. For more information about Priority Services Customers, please visit www.scottishwater.co.uk/support or call our Customer Helpline free on 0800 0778 778.

If you notice any unusual taste and odour, please contact us so we can carry out the necessary investigations to resolve this for you as soon as possible. For more information please see our factsheet: Colour, taste and odour explained.

If the water from your cold kitchen tap (or any other mains fed tap) suddenly becomes discoloured, this could be because some maintenance or repair work is being carried out on our network in your area. If we have not informed you of any work being carried out, please contact us for more details. If we are not working in your area, we will investigate the cause of discolouration for you and let you know. For more information please see our factsheet: Colour, taste and odour explained.

In most cases discoloured water is not harmful and can be cleared by running the first incoming cold water tap (usually in the kitchen) at a trickle until it clears. Very occasionally customers have noticed "tiny particles" or "bits" in their tap water. This can be caused by planned or unplanned work to the water supply network which causes natural sediment in the pipes to shift (quite often this is a dark red, brown colour).

Small dark grey or black particles can occasionally be caused if your pipework is made from lead. This is most likely if your house was built before 1970. For more information see our Lead and Your Water pages.