How to find your stop taps

Your stop taps (otherwise known as stopcocks) are used to turn your water supply on and off.

Your property will have two: an inside stop tap and an outside stop tap.

Your inside stop tap controls the water supply inside your property and your outside stop tap controls the water supply from the water main.

If you need to shut off your water supply, follow our advice to find and turn off the correct stop tap.

Which stop tap should you turn off?

If you experience a burst or leak on a pipe inside your property, you should turn off your inside stop tap.

If you experience a burst or leak on your private supply pipe or if your inside stop tap is broken, you should turn off your outside stop tap.

A leak on your private supply pipe will usually be outside your property but on your land.

Turning off your inside stop tap

To turn off your water supply turn the tap clockwise. It may take a couple of minutes for your water supply to turn off completely. To turn it back on, simply turn the tap anti-clockwise.

Inside stop taps aren’t used very often so you should check yours is working regularly to ensure you’re prepared for an emergency.

If your inside stop tap is damaged or broken, please contact a qualified plumber.

How to find your outside stop tap

Your outside stop tap can be found in any of the following places:

• meter chamber
• footpath
• verge
• under a plastic or metal cover.

You may need a stop tap key to access it, depending on where it is located.

Turning off your outside stop tap

One outside stop tap can sometimes control the water supply of several properties (this usually applies to older terraced properties).

If you think this could be the case at your property, please speak to your neighbours before turning off their supply.

If you can’t find your outside stop tap or if it isn’t working correctly, please contact us.