Burst pipe under driveway

Strummer22

We have a burst mains water pipe under our drive. We know exactly where it is, and the leak has already washed away the top surface of hardcore so there's not much digging to get through to the pipe. We've had a quote of £580+vat to repair it which seems very high to me. Does this seem reasonable?

We expect this is an ancient pipe so at some point it will make sense to replace it but we've only just moved in to this property and already spent lots on unexpected repairs, so replacing the incoming mains is unlikely to be immediately affordable. Our driveway is very long!

Eldi_Dos

Have you turned water off at the Toby to prevent leak doing more damage to drive?

FreeBear

Presumably, you are talking about the main cold water pipe feeding your house. If the leak is on the downstream side of the stopcock (towards the road), then the local water company should be repairing it free of charge.

On your side of the stopcock, your responsibility, and you have to pay. £580+VAT sounds rather high, even at London rates - For that price, I would expect a new pipe fitted from stopcock to house.

There will be a fair bit of digging, but I would have expected one man to complete the excavation & repair in under a day. If you want the drive reinstated, that would of course add to the cost.

Strummer22

Should have clarified, it's the water board"s side of the meter but on our land so we've been told it's our responsibility. It's a semi-rural property and the drive in this location is in poor repair anyway so reinstating is just a case of refilling the hole with the dug out stuff, and then topping with gravel

FreeBear

Unfortunately, it does look like it is your responsibility then... If it is a lead pipe, you may be able to get a free replacement - Worth checking.

NSG666

Strummer22 said:

Should have clarified, it's the water board"s side of the meter but on our land so we've been told it's our responsibility. It's a semi-rural property and the drive in this location is in poor repair anyway so reinstating is just a case of refilling the hole with the dug out stuff, and then topping with gravel

Have you spoken with your water company? I'm with Yorkshire Water and they will fix leaks between your land boundary and the first point that the pipe goes under your buildings free of charge (once every three years I think). I benefited from this service several years ago.