GJ-06Check and refix a loose bracketA leaking joint is often caused by a slipped bracket changing the gutter's fall, so check both brackets are tight before you finish. If a bracket is loose in a timber fascia board, remove it, plug the old screw hole with a wood filler dowel and glue, then drive a new 40mm stainless steel screw slightly clear of the old hole. If there's no fascia and the bracket fixes straight into brick or block, use a cable and pipe detector first, but still treat it as a guide only — detectors miss cables and pipes that run outside the usual zones, especially near soil stacks or outdoor lighting circuits. Find your stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) and check it turns, so you can shut the water off fast if you hit a pipe, and if you're at all unsure, isolate the relevant circuit at the consumer unit before you drill. Drill a 6mm pilot hole 50mm deep, push in a masonry wall plug, and drive a 50mm screw through the bracket into it.