Emergency locksmith North East

The town list is where our locksmiths are based, not a boundary. In and around Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham, Darlington and Middlesbrough it is 30 to 60 minutes. Further out — up in Northumberland, along the coast, or out in the Durham dales — it takes longer, and we would rather tell you so. Give us the postcode when you call and we will tell you the real travel time rather than quote a standard one we cannot keep.

Make sure everyone is safe, then call the police before touching or tidying anything. Report it and ask for a crime reference, because your insurer will want it. Once that is done, ring us and we will come and make the property secure: the door or window is repaired or boarded, the lock is changed if the keys may be compromised, and you can sleep there that night. We give you an itemised invoice for your insurer.

Yes, it is a sensible first step. You cannot know how many keys exist for the old locks or who has them, so changing the cylinders gives you control of every key to the property. It is quick, it does not usually mean a new door, and you can ask us to fit them while we are there for anything else. Ring us and tell us how many external doors there are and what kind of locks they have.

A window that will not lock is an open invitation, so do not leave it. If the handle has snapped, or the lock no longer catches, ring us and tell us whether it is a uPVC, aluminium or wooden window. Many faults are a worn lock mechanism or a damaged handle, which can be replaced without replacing the whole window. If the frame itself has been forced or warped, we can usually make it square and secure again, and tell you honestly if the window needs more than a repair.

Often it is the latch that has worn or dropped rather than the lock itself, because gates sag over time and stop lining up. Check whether the gate has dropped on its hinges: if it drags on the ground or leans, the post or hinges may have moved. Ring us and tell us what the gate is made of. We can usually refit the latch, adjust the hinges or replace the lock so the gate shuts and locks properly again.

Do not keep forcing it. A roller shutter that will not move can have a failed motor, a broken spring, a bent slat or a jammed lock, and forcing it can turn a small fault into a larger one. If it is electric, check that it has power before anything else. Ring us and tell us whether it is manual or motorised and whether it is stuck open or shut. If it is stuck shut, we will tell you how we plan to free it without damaging it.