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Original poster

Someone is turning on our outside tap

332 replies

SpacePug · 07/07/2020 10:24

I think someone is coming into our back garden. Today and Sunday morning , the garden tap has been turned on and the hose adaptor pulled off so it is spraying on the floor until we notice.
On Sunday I thought that we had left it turned on (with the hose attached we wouldn't know ) as the hose and adaptor were on the floor nearby and maybe the pressure made it come off. But its happened again and I know for sure we have not turned the tap on, and the adaptor seems to be missing.

What's going on?! We have had a new fence and gate recently so it is high and sturdy. The only other way someone could get in is via next doors garden, then climbing on things to get over that lower fence

We have known of 2 occasions in the past (we have lived here a year) where someone has 100% been in the garden because the plastic shed lid was left up. But we had our old rickety fence and broken gate back then. Someone kicked it in we think as it was hanging off anyway so we had no gate for a couple of weeks. We haven't had that problem since getting the new fence up as they wouldn't be able to get in now. (There was a footprint on the gate when we first had it put up, so some one tried to kick it down, but had nothing of the sort for a few months.
We also put up security lights In that area.
Next step, we will get a camera! Why would someone do this?

OP posts:

Thread gallery

namechange30000 · 07/07/2020 13:30

Window cleaner used ours a few times.

willowmelangell · 07/07/2020 13:32

Is it on a patio? You could sprinkle sand around and see what foot/paw prints are there in the morning.

JingsMahBucket · 07/07/2020 13:34

Are some of posters on here thick or drunk? How on earth would foxes be able turn the tap on?! It’s obviously a human being doing it!

AtTheWinchester · 07/07/2020 13:38

This thread had made me chuckle.

ProseccoBubbleFantasies · 07/07/2020 13:42

Smearing with marmite and cameras???? Sounds like my kind of porn

viques · 07/07/2020 13:50

@GiveMeAllTheGin8

Homeless person

Foxes turning taps on

Glueing the person to the tap

Has the world gone bonkers ?!!!!!!

I think it has. I worried at the start of Covid that it was going to mutate into a zombie inducing virus because I have seen enough films to know that's how these things start. But it seems it has instead mutated into a crazy behaviour virus, why else would people travel 400 miles to get childcare, queue for hours to get into Primark, crowd onto an already crowded beach , turn on random garden taps, climb into my back garden to cut down my tree ( sorry, forget that one, my neighbour was bonkers before Covid) and all the other crazy things people have started doing.

LeatherFlanny · 07/07/2020 13:51

I know you're all going to take the piss but we have a resident fox who turns the water butt tap on with his mouth, has a drink then leaves the water to empty on to the patio Always at 9.10pm exactly. It is slightly easier than a normal tap though!
I'd put money on it being an animal rather than a human.

Roselilly36 · 07/07/2020 13:52

My garden tap is stiff to turn, so much so, the foxes were complaining, I could send DH out to turn it on & off for them on request, or send them round to you OP! Seriously, I hope you solve the mystery.

NavyBerry · 07/07/2020 13:54

Must be some animal or a bird (if your tap is v easy to turn). They like drinking from ours

bogoblin · 07/07/2020 13:54

Another story that might get me the piss taken out of too, but we had something similar and it was next door's cat! Not getting out her opposable thumbs and turning the tap on to piss us off, but where our tap is located it seemed like she was brushing past it getting through the hedge and turning it on! It's a pretty old and crap tap though.

DuesToTheDirt · 07/07/2020 13:58

Once we had local kids in our garden while we were out, using our hose to have a water fight. I knew someone had been there as they left the hose in a mess. Later they rang the bell (maybe to check if we were home) and they then asked to use our hose to fill their water balloons .

SirSamuelVimesBlackboardMonito · 07/07/2020 14:00

Blatant placemark. I want to see if op has found the first known foxes with opposable thumbs.

Nestofvipers · 07/07/2020 14:00

@dexterslockedintheshedagain I was wondering the same thing.

Unless foxes have somehow developed opposable thumbs they’re not going to be able to turn a normal outdoor tap on.

TheGreatWave · 07/07/2020 14:00

In terms of cameras I got just a cheap wildlife one from eBay as we have hedgehogs. The fox did nick the water bowl though.

Junenamechange · 07/07/2020 14:01

@Handsoffisback

I wouldn’t put a tap lock on in case it was a homeless person needing a drink but obviously completely understand why you are creeped out by someone coming into your garden.

This has given me the biggest laugh in ages!!

Nestofvipers · 07/07/2020 14:02

@SirSamuelVimesBlackboardMonito
Cross posted with you. Maybe this is going to be a long drip feed and the OP isn’t in the UK and the tap has actually been turned on by a chimpanzee rather than a fox.

Carandi · 07/07/2020 14:03

If it's not a vindictive neighbour or someone with a grudge against the previous occupants then you must have nightcrawler thirsty chimpanzees coursing through the neighbourhood at night. It's the only explanation for the tap being turned on OP.

Notwiththeseknees · 07/07/2020 14:03

@EatsShootsAndRuns

I wouldn’t put a tap lock on in case it was a homeless person needing a drink

I bloody well would! What next, leave the kitchen door open in case they fancy a fry up or a shower? Watch the footy with a beer? Why not give them a creme egg and the keys to your house and car whilst you're about it?

copperoliver · 07/07/2020 14:03

Maybe it's the neighbours, when you have been watering the garden has any of the water splashed next door or something. X

Notwiththeseknees · 07/07/2020 14:03

@EatsShootsAndRuns

I wouldn’t put a tap lock on in case it was a homeless person needing a drink

Notwiththeseknees · 07/07/2020 14:07

So funny I reposted - sorry - glitch. But it's threads like these that keep me coming back 😀

3cats · 07/07/2020 14:16

There have been some ridiculous replies here. If it’s been drinking all the water in your tap, then obviously it’s a tiger.

Worstemailever · 07/07/2020 14:17

@EatsShootsAndRuns

Why not give them a creme egg

I sincerely hope that you're kidding! That's taking charity wayy too far!!!

It's unlikely to be foxes. They prefer to lap from ponds rather than drink from cups (my understanding being that they find china handles to be rather slippery). I'd put money on it being that creepy chap who lives in your shed (and occasionally leaves the lid up), sneaking out to fill up his kettle again. Either that or a couple of hedgehogs having a water fight.

Ohffs66 · 07/07/2020 14:19

I would absolutely love it if I had a family of foxes using our outside tap for a drink! I'd probably put sone nice fox biscuits out for them too and some little sun loungers for them to get comfy.

Pleasebeaflesbite · 07/07/2020 14:19

TBF my DB lives in Thailand and it’s astonishing what the monkeys are capable of. The outside is properly secured. He also came downstairs to find a 5ft monitor in his washbasin.

Home Counties not so much I imagine

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