Short answer: The outside stop tap is usually under a small metal or plastic cover in the pavement or just inside your front boundary. In the Bristol Water area it normally belongs to Bristol Water and marks where your supply pipe begins. Use your inside stop tap first, and report any fault with the outside one to Bristol Water.
Most people never think about the outside stop tap until water is pouring through a ceiling. It helps to know where it is, who owns it, and when you should touch it. This guide is written for homes on Bristol Water’s supply, which covers Bristol, South Gloucestershire and towns like Keynsham.
Inside first, outside second
Every home should have two stop taps.
| Stop tap | Where it usually is | Who owns it |
|---|---|---|
| Inside stop tap | Under the kitchen sink, under the stairs, under a floor hatch, or in a cellar | You |
| Outside (boundary) stop tap | Under a small cover in the pavement or just inside the front boundary | Normally Bristol Water |
In a burst, always go for the inside stop tap first. It is quicker, it is yours, and it shuts off everything after it. Bristol Water’s cold weather advice tells every customer to find the inside stop tap and check it turns before winter.
The outside stop tap matters when:
- the inside stop tap is missing, seized or broken
- the leak is on the supply pipe before the inside stop tap, for example under the front room floor or in the garden
- a plumber needs to replace the inside stop tap
Where to find it
Look on the pavement directly outside your house, or just inside your front wall or gate. You are looking for a small cover, often marked with a W or the words Water or Stop Valve. On older streets the covers can be hidden by parked cars, tarmac patches or garden soil.
Keynsham has a real mix of homes. Older stone houses near the High Street often have stop taps in the pavement with long, deep pipes. Newer homes, including the Somerdale estate on the old chocolate factory site, are more likely to have a modern meter box with the stop tap inside it. Interwar and post war semis can have the box at the edge of the drive.
If you cannot find it, check your property deeds, or ask Bristol Water. Ofwat’s guidance notes that not all properties have their own stop tap in the footpath. In some older Bristol terraces, one stop tap serves two or more houses on a shared supply.
How to turn it off
Outside stop taps sit deep, so you need a stop tap key: a long metal bar with a forked or shaped end. They are sold in most DIY shops.
- Lift the cover. Clear out soil or water so you can see the tap.
- Fit the key over the tap handle.
- Turn it clockwise slowly. Count the turns so you can open it the same amount.
- Check a kitchen tap to see the flow has stopped.
Turn gently. If the tap is stiff, stop. Outside stop taps are often old and can snap or start leaking if forced. A broken tap on Bristol Water’s side is their repair, but it will leave you with no control of the water until they come.
Common problems
Box full of water. Boxes collect rain and ground water. Bail it out with a cup. If it refills quickly in dry weather, there may be a leak. Bristol Water’s help with leaks page explains a meter test that shows whether water is flowing when nothing is on.
Box full of soil. Common after garden work or resurfacing. Dig it out carefully by hand. Do not jab at the tap with a spade.
Tap will not turn. Leave it and call Bristol Water. They own the tap and can free or replace it.
Tap turns but water keeps flowing. The tap washer has probably failed, or you have turned a neighbour’s tap on a shared supply. Report it.
Leaking stop tap. A leak at the outside tap itself is usually Bristol Water’s to fix. A leak on the pipe between the boundary and the house is yours.
Shared supplies in older terraces
Many Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Bristol were built with one supply pipe feeding two or more houses. In that case, one outside stop tap may shut off your neighbours as well as you. Before you turn it off for a planned job, knock next door and tell them. If you are not sure whether you share a supply, Bristol Water’s surveyors check this as part of its lead pipe survey, and your deeds may say. Shared supplies also matter for repairs. Bristol Water says on its leaks page that owners on a shared supply may share responsibility for fixing a leak on it.
The 2026 picture
With Bristol Water’s hosepipe ban in place from 27 August 2026, it has said it is increasing leak detection and repairs. If you suspect your outside stop tap or supply pipe is leaking, now is a good time to report it. Our guide to the Bristol hosepipe ban covers more on saving water at home.
When to call a plumber
Call a plumber when the problem is on your side:
- your inside stop tap is seized or missing and needs replacing
- the supply pipe is leaking under your path, drive or floor
- you want a new inside stop tap fitted somewhere easy to reach
- you have an old lead supply and want it renewed
Our burst pipe repair page explains how a visit runs. If the outside tap needs to be off for the job, a plumber can usually do it with a key if it turns freely. If it does not, Bristol Water will need to attend first.
Quick questions
Who owns the outside stop tap?
Where a water company stop tap has been fitted at the boundary, it is normally the company's to maintain, according to Ofwat. In Bristol and Keynsham that is Bristol Water. Report a leaking or broken one to them.
My outside stop tap box is full of water. Is that a leak?
Not always. Boxes fill with rain and ground water. If it stays full in dry weather, refills quickly after you bail it out, or your meter moves with every tap off, report it to Bristol Water as a possible leak.
Can a plumber turn off my outside stop tap?
A plumber can usually reach it with a long key if it turns freely. If it is seized, buried or broken, it is a Bristol Water job, and forcing it can cause a leak on their side.
Last updated 23 October 2026. Written for homes in Bristol. Rules can change, so check the linked sources for the latest position.