--- title: "Broken Key Extraction London | Snapped Key Removal | The Bow Locks" description: "Snapped key in the lock? London key extraction and replacement keys cut from £48, 24/7, typical 30-minute response. City & Guilds qualified, 3-year warranty on locks fitted." lang: en-GB json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://www.thebowlocks.co.uk/#organization", "name": "The Bow Locks", "legalName": "The Bow Locks", "url": "https://www.thebowlocks.co.uk/", "telephone": [ "07546 247 247", "020 7247 1111" ], "email": "thebowlocks@outlook.com", "description": "Family-run London locksmiths for homes and business premises. Emergency lockouts, lock changes, uPVC repairs, burglary repairs and safes, 24 hours a day.", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Canning Town", "addressRegion": "London", "postalCode": "E16 4RF", "addressCountry": "GB" }, "sameAs": [ "https://maps.app.goo.gl/mS6He4Vvuieevx3Z6" ], "contactPoint": [ { "@type": "ContactPoint", "telephone": [ "07546 247 247", "020 7247 1111" ], "contactType": "emergency locksmith", "areaServed": "GB", "availableLanguage": "English" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://www.thebowlocks.co.uk/#website", "name": "The Bow Locks", "url": "https://www.thebowlocks.co.uk/", "inLanguage": "en-GB", "publisher": { "@id": "https://www.thebowlocks.co.uk/#organization" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Service", "name": "Snapped & broken keys", "serviceType": "Snapped & broken keys", "description": "Snapped key in the lock? London key extraction and replacement keys cut from £48, 24/7, typical 30-minute response. City & Guilds qualified, 3-year warranty on locks fitted.", "url": "https://www.thebowlocks.co.uk/services/snapped-keys", "provider": { "@type": "Locksmith", "name": "The Bow Locks", "telephone": [ "07546 247 247", "020 7247 1111" ], "email": "thebowlocks@outlook.com", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "London", "postalCode": "E16 4RF", "addressCountry": "GB" } }, "areaServed": { "@type": "City", "name": "London" }, "offers": { "@type": "Offer", "priceCurrency": "GBP", "price": "48", "priceSpecification": { "@type": "PriceSpecification", "priceCurrency": "GBP", "minPrice": "48" } } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "How much does it cost to remove a snapped key?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "From £48, including extraction. Replacement keys and, where necessary, a new cylinder are quoted clearly before we start." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Will I need a new lock?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Usually not. Extraction performed with the correct tools leaves the cylinder undamaged in most cases. Locks that were already seizing or that have been attacked with pliers or glue are a different story." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How quickly can you get to me?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Typically around 30 minutes across London, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can you cut new keys there and then?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes, in most cases we cut and test replacement keys during the same visit so you leave with working keys rather than a promise." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Half the key is inside and I am locked out. Can you still get me in?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. Extraction and entry are handled on the same visit, non-destructively wherever the lock allows it." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why do my keys keep breaking?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Almost always a stiff mechanism, a dropped door, or keys worn out through repeated copying. We identify which and tell you what it costs to fix, because extraction alone will not stop it recurring." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is superglue really that bad?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. It bonds to the pins and the plug as readily as to the key, and the usual result is a cylinder that has to be replaced. It is the most expensive shortcut in this job." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do you guarantee the work?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Any lock or cylinder we fit is covered by our 3-year warranty on parts and labour." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do you cover all of London?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes, from our base in E16 — including Bow, Canary Wharf, Islington, Chelsea, Battersea, Brixton, Tooting, Croydon and Notting Hill." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.thebowlocks.co.uk" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Services", "item": "https://www.thebowlocks.co.uk/services" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Snapped & broken keys", "item": "https://www.thebowlocks.co.uk/services/snapped-keys" } ] } ] --- 24 hours a day, 365 days a year [thebowlocks@outlook.com](mailto:thebowlocks@outlook.com)[020 7247 1111](tel:+442072471111)[07546 247 247](tel:+447546247247) [![The Bow Locks locksmith logo](/__l5e/assets-v1/604321ce-f8ce-4664-8cc3-379a605564f3/bow-locks-logo-2.png)](/) [Home](/)[About](/about) [Services](/services) [Areas](/service-areas) [Our Work](/our-work)[Contact](/contact)[07546 247 247](tel:+447546247247)[020 7247 1111](tel:+442072471111) [Request Estimate](/contact) 1. [Home](/) 2. [Services](/services) 3. Snapped & broken keys ![Key snapped into two pieces after breaking in a lock](/__l5e/assets-v1/d31f454b-d919-4401-b32d-b738e3894af6/snapped_nd_broken_key.png) Snapped & broken keys # Snapped Key In The Lock? Extracted And Replaced Without Wrecking The Cylinder. Half a key in the door does not have to mean a new lock. We extract the broken section, check whether the cylinder survived, and cut replacement keys on the spot so you are back in and back to normal in one visit. [Call 07546 247 247](tel:+447546247247)[Request an estimate](/contact) 25 years in London · Typical 30-minute response · From £48 25 years Serving London 30 mins Typical response 24/7 · 365 Always available 3 years Warranty on work & locks From £48 Priced before we travel Overview ## What broken key extraction involves A snapped key is a mechanical failure with a very short window for making it worse. The broken section sits inside the keyway, still engaged with the pins or levers, and the way it is removed determines whether you keep your lock or buy a new one. Correct extraction uses purpose-made tools that grip or hook the blade and draw it out along the keyway without spreading the wafers or scoring the plug. Once the fragment is out, the cylinder needs assessing rather than assuming. Keys usually snap because something else was already wrong — a worn key, a stiff mechanism, or a misaligned door demanding force. If the underlying cause is untouched, the replacement key will snap too, often within weeks. The reason to call a locksmith rather than improvise is simple economics. Extraction plus a replacement key is one of the cheapest jobs on our list. A cylinder damaged by pliers, superglue or a drill bit is a lock replacement plus new keys for everyone in the household. ### Who this is for - Anyone with a key snapped in a front, back, patio or communal door - Households whose keys have been copied from copies for years - Landlords and agents dealing with a broken key mid-tenancy - Businesses where a shutter, shopfront or office key has failed [07546 247 247](tel:+447546247247) Answered 24/7 · From £48 Leave it and it gets worse ## What happens if you try to get it out yourself The improvised methods all damage the lock. Pliers and tweezers push the fragment deeper and burr the keyway mouth. Superglue on a key blank bonds the fragment to the pins as often as to the key, and takes the cylinder with it. Drilling destroys the plug by definition. Each of these turns a small job into a replacement. There is a security consequence as well. A broken key usually means a door that cannot be locked, which means a property that cannot be left. If it happens on the way out in the morning, you either stay in or leave the place unsecured — a choice nobody should have to make over a component costing a few pounds. And the underlying fault does not fix itself. A key that snapped because the mechanism is seizing is a warning that the lock is failing. Extract the key, ignore the cause, and the next failure is a full lockout with no working key at all. ### Common mistakes - Attacking the fragment with pliers, tweezers or a knife blade and burring the keyway - Trying the superglue trick, which regularly welds the fragment to the cylinder - Forcing a second key in on top of the broken piece and jamming it deeper - Continuing to use a visibly worn or bent key rather than having fresh ones cut to code - Extracting the key and ignoring the stiff mechanism that caused the break Our process ## Five steps, priced before we start 01 ### Inspect the keyway and the break We look at how far in the fragment sits, whether it is still under spring load, and what condition the keyway mouth is in. That decides which extraction tool goes in first. 02 ### Diagnose why the key broke Worn key, seized cylinder, dropped door or failing gearbox — there is always a reason. Identifying it is what stops a repeat, and it is included, not an add-on. 03 ### Extract without damaging the lock Purpose-made extractors draw the blade out along the keyway. In most cases the cylinder is completely unharmed and continues in service with no replacement needed. 04 ### Cut replacements and test Fresh keys are cut and tested in the lock with the door closed, from both sides. If the cylinder or the door alignment caused the break, we correct it and price that clearly before doing so. 05 ### Sign-off, warranty and keys handed over You get every key that works the lock, a clear price with no surprise additions, and our 3-year warranty on the work and the locks we fitted. All payment types are accepted at the door. What you get ## Concrete outcomes, not adjectives ### Your lock usually survives Correct extraction leaves the cylinder serviceable, so there is nothing to replace and no keys to reissue. ### Back in the same visit Extraction and replacement keys are handled together, so you are not left waiting on a key-cutting shop to open. ### The cause gets identified We tell you why the key broke, which is the difference between a one-off and a monthly occurrence. ### Available when it happens Keys snap at 7am on the way out and 11pm on the way in. We answer 24/7, 365 days a year. ### Cheap compared to the alternative From £48, against the cost of a destroyed cylinder, a new lock and a full set of keys for the household. ### Warranty on anything fitted If a cylinder or lock does need replacing, it carries our 3-year warranty on the parts and the work. In detail ## Why keys break, key types and cutting options ### Metal fatigue and copies of copies Keys are usually brass or nickel silver and they work-harden with use. Every turn flexes the blade slightly; over years of use, and particularly in a stiff lock, micro-cracks form at the shoulder where the blade meets the bow. That is where most keys break. Copying accelerates it. Each copy is cut from the previous copy, so the depths drift and the key sits progressively worse in the pins, needing more force. Cutting new keys to the original code rather than duplicating a worn one restores correct depths and takes the strain off the blade. ### Extraction in different lock types Euro cylinders on uPVC and composite doors have narrow keyways with sprung pins, and the fragment often sits under load; extraction is a matter of relieving that load and drawing the blade along the correct plane. Rim cylinders on night latches are similar but shorter. Mortice lever locks are different: the key sits in a broad keyway, engaging levers and the bolt stump. A fragment stuck between the levers may need the lock's own bolt position manipulating before it will release. Both are routine, but they are not the same job with the same tool. ### Keys cut to code, restricted profiles and spares Where the lock has an identifiable code, keys cut to code give a factory-accurate profile — the right answer when the last good key has worn or gone missing. Where no code exists, we cut from the best remaining key and test in the lock rather than handing over something untested. Restricted and patented key profiles cannot legally or physically be copied at a general key-cutting kiosk. If your property uses one, replacements come through a controlled route, which is a security feature rather than an inconvenience — nobody cuts a spare without authority. ### Residential versus commercial key failures In homes, snapped keys concentrate on the most-used door and on back doors with weathered locks. The fix is usually extraction plus a fresh set of keys, sometimes with a cylinder replacement where wear is beyond service. In commercial premises, keys break on shutters, shopfronts, communal doors and cupboards used dozens of times a day by different hands. Here the answer often extends to a properly planned key suite — keyed alike where practical, restricted keys where copying needs controlling — which we set up regularly for the letting agents and property maintenance companies we are contracted to. Questions ## Snapped & broken keys in London — your questions answered ### How much does it cost to remove a snapped key? From £48, including extraction. Replacement keys and, where necessary, a new cylinder are quoted clearly before we start. ### Will I need a new lock? Usually not. Extraction performed with the correct tools leaves the cylinder undamaged in most cases. Locks that were already seizing or that have been attacked with pliers or glue are a different story. ### How quickly can you get to me? Typically around 30 minutes across London, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. ### Can you cut new keys there and then? Yes, in most cases we cut and test replacement keys during the same visit so you leave with working keys rather than a promise. ### Half the key is inside and I am locked out. Can you still get me in? Yes. Extraction and entry are handled on the same visit, non-destructively wherever the lock allows it. ### Why do my keys keep breaking? Almost always a stiff mechanism, a dropped door, or keys worn out through repeated copying. We identify which and tell you what it costs to fix, because extraction alone will not stop it recurring. ### Is superglue really that bad? Yes. It bonds to the pins and the plug as readily as to the key, and the usual result is a cylinder that has to be replaced. It is the most expensive shortcut in this job. ### Do you guarantee the work? Any lock or cylinder we fit is covered by our 3-year warranty on parts and labour. ### Do you cover all of London? Yes, from our base in E16 — including Bow, Canary Wharf, Islington, Chelsea, Battersea, Brixton, Tooting, Croydon and Notting Hill. Related services - [Emergency lockouts](/services/emergency-lockouts) - [Lock repairs](/services/lock-repairs) - [Lock changes & upgrades](/services/lock-changes) - [All locksmith services](/services) Areas we cover [Bow](/service-areas/bow)[Chelsea](/service-areas/chelsea)[Battersea](/service-areas/battersea)[Tooting](/service-areas/tooting)[Canary Wharf](/service-areas/canary-wharf)[Islington](/service-areas/islington)[Croydon](/service-areas/croydon)[Brixton](/service-areas/brixton)[Notting Hill](/service-areas/notting-hill) Based in E16 4RF, London, covering London. [Back to the homepage](/) or [request an estimate](/contact). ## Get the broken key out and working keys in your hand Extraction with the right tools, a straight answer on why it broke, and replacement keys cut on the visit. From £48, anywhere in London, 24 hours a day. - City & Guilds qualified - DBS-checked locksmiths - 3-year warranty [Call 07546 247 247](tel:+447546247247)[Request an estimate](/contact) [![The Bow Locks — 24 hour London locksmith company logo](/__l5e/assets-v1/604321ce-f8ce-4664-8cc3-379a605564f3/bow-locks-logo-2.png)](/) Family-run London locksmiths for homes and business premises. 25 years of experience, City & Guilds qualified and DBS-checked. [07546 247 247](tel:+447546247247) [020 7247 1111](tel:+442072471111) [thebowlocks@outlook.com](mailto:thebowlocks@outlook.com) E16 4RF, London ### Services - [Emergency lockouts London](/services/emergency-lockouts "Emergency lockouts in London") - [Lock changes & upgrades London](/services/lock-changes "Lock changes & upgrades in London") - [Lock repairs London](/services/lock-repairs "Lock repairs in London") - [uPVC door & window locks London](/services/upvc-door-lock-repair "uPVC door & window locks in London") - [Burglary repairs London](/services/burglary-repairs "Burglary repairs in London") - [Snapped & broken keys London](/services/snapped-keys "Snapped & broken keys in London") - [Gaining entry London](/services/gaining-entry "Gaining entry in London") - [Security upgrades London](/services/security-upgrades "Security upgrades in London") - [Safes London](/services/safes "Safes in London") - [All locksmith services](/services) ### Areas covered - [Locksmith in Bow](/service-areas/bow "Locksmith in Bow") - [Locksmith in Chelsea](/service-areas/chelsea "Locksmith in Chelsea") - [Locksmith in Battersea](/service-areas/battersea "Locksmith in Battersea") - [Locksmith in Tooting](/service-areas/tooting "Locksmith in Tooting") - [Locksmith in Canary Wharf](/service-areas/canary-wharf "Locksmith in Canary Wharf") - [Locksmith in Islington](/service-areas/islington "Locksmith in Islington") - [Locksmith in Croydon](/service-areas/croydon "Locksmith in Croydon") - [Locksmith in Brixton](/service-areas/brixton "Locksmith in Brixton") - [Locksmith in Notting Hill](/service-areas/notting-hill "Locksmith in Notting Hill") - [All London areas covered](/service-areas) ### Company - [About us](/about) - [Our work](/our-work) - [Contact](/contact) - [Leave a Google review](https://g.page/r/CegDlwgCcfTeEBM/review) Open 24 hours, 365 days Typical response: 30 minutes © 2026 The Bow Locks. 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