Tough times, help when you need it most.

Accidents and emergencies happen – that’s life.

We can’t plan or prevent all of them, but we can be prepared for the unexpected.

Just knowing how to turn off your water quickly using your stop tap could save a lot of heartache and cost if a pipe bursts in your home or business.

That’s why we are asking our customers to take 10 minutes to find and test your stop tap. We’re calling it stop tap Sunday, but you can do it any day of the week – and it could be the handiest hint this winter.

A stop tap – or stop cock as it is sometimes known – is a small tap on one of your water pipes. It has a simple job – to stop the flow of water into your home or business quickly.

If a burst pipe does happen, you need to get to your stop tap as fast as possible and turn it fully clockwise until the flow is halted.

So where will you find your stop tap?

Usually it’s under the kitchen or bathroom sink, in the cupboard under the stairs or in a communal corridor or cupboard in flats. But there is no standard place for a stop tap. In older buildings or where there’s been an extension or changes to the layout over the years, the stop tap may have been put somewhere a bit unusual.

Stop taps also come in different shapes and sizes - some may have levers, others may simply be taps, some may be inside and others outside, so it's important to find and identify yours before an emergency or burst happens.

Once you have found your stop tap, make sure everyone at your home or business knows its location by downloading and printing(opens in a new tab) the South East Water stop tap label, and popping it on.

We can all benefit from a bit of extra support from time to time, whether it's due to age, ill health, disability, mental health problems, financial worries or laungage barriers.

At South East Water, we want our customers to know that we are always here for you, and there are a number of ways we may be able to lend a hand when you need it most.

We have our Priority Services Register for customers who may need a bit of extra support in the short or long term.

This may be due to illness or disability or age-related. There’s a wide criteria and signing up is simple and free. By being on the register, we can tailor our services to better meet your specific needs at the time you need it.

Even if you don't need these services yourself, you may have a family member, friend or neighbour who might benefit from a little extra support, so please let them know about Priority Services. It's completely free to our customers and you don't have to be the named bill payer to benefit from them.

Watch the short video below to hear about how Priority Services work and what we're doing with other utility companies to promote them.

If financial pressures are causing you concern, we have a range of schemes to help.

We have a specially trained customer care team who can chat through your current circumstances, offer confidential advice, and make sure you are on the right tariff.

From our Social Tariff, WaterSure and Helping Hand, to Water Direct, Single Occupier and Single Room Tariff, there are a number of options available to help.

The best thing to do is give us a call so we can find the right option for you.