Someone is turning on our outside tap

[SpacePug]

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?

@Handsoffisback I think you are adorable for thinking of the non existent homeless person

I remember a thread where someone was complaining that a window cleaner did it.

I have an outside tap and I'm not at home so now I am paranoid

also, I saw a tiny baby fox running past my house last week. it broke my heart. looked canny though!

@SirGawain

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. In that case OP shoud leave a ham sandwich out as well in case they are hungry.

Good idea, this would would also be helpful if it is foxes

@SirGawain

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. In that case OP shoud leave a ham sandwich out as well in case they are hungry.

Good idea, this would would also be helpful if it is foxes

Anyone worried about your taps, you can replace your tap with one with a built in lock if you are handy or know someone who is. It costs next to nothing and it's quite easy.

This one in the pic costs about 10 euros. The separate part just slots in to the top and let's you turn it on/off.

@SpacePug

We can't turn the water off from it from the inside I don't think, I'm not sure about removing the twisty thingy 🤔

Look under the sink. There's a good chance that there's a separate lever to turn it off, which you're supposed to do every year before the frosts start and you could potentially have a burst pipe.

How did it go last night OP?

I've rarely been more desperate for an update!

Look for an animal with thumbs.

@PigletJohn

Raccoons can turn on taps over here (Canada).

We’ve recently had travellers in my village; they’d been sneaking into people’s gardens and using their outdoor taps. One rather lovely individual was caught in the act and threatened an elderly man when asked to leave. Thankfully they were removed from the area! Id highly recommend getting yourself onto amazon and ordering a security camera that records, or even a ring doorbell/camera, via prime for next day delivery

Squirrels figured how to get a drink?

I had this before lockdown...we only knew from our water bill being extortionate, We got got camera's (not just for that husband started going away a lot didn't like being on my own felt safer) and spent hours looking through finally found it was a window cleaner that did our neighbours houses, we've got a firm that's direct debit etc and produces an invoice the other was cash only and never gave a receipt! He would use his ladder to get over our fence fill up two massive water things what he would have in the back of his van and then do the whole road then come back and fill up before moving on!! This went on for months without us knowing we were at work when he was doing it!! We got the pipe indoors fitted with an isolating valve and and a padlock for the gate! He got very arsey with us but we just said you did not have permission and it is theft and would be reporting him to the police if he did it again he left us alone after that.

@MoonlightDancer - I can't believe he got arsey with you - cheeky beggar! He's lucky you didn't present him with an invoice.

@SpacePug
I hope people see this reply, as it is so far down the thread... I've scrolled through a couple of pages of replies and I can't see any which refer to this: A few years ago, police were warning women not to go outside at night to turn off their outside tap if they heard it running. Some women had been attacked by someone lying in wait, having turned on the tap to lure women out of the house. (I guess it can also apply to men.) For this reason, I also don't empty the bins late at night (once it's dark) or take them out to the kerbside (again, read a news article about a woman being raped when taking out the bin, whilst her husband was unaware in the house). Getting a lock is a brilliant idea - I will be doing this.

@SpacePug
I hope people see this reply, as it is so far down the thread... I've scrolled through a couple of pages of replies and I can't see any which refer to this: A few years ago, police were warning women not to go outside at night to turn off their outside tap if they heard it running. Some women had been attacked by someone lying in wait, having turned on the tap to lure women out of the house. (I guess it can also apply to men.) For this reason, I also don't empty the bins late at night (once it's dark) or take them out to the kerbside (again, read a news article about a woman being raped when taking out the bin, whilst her husband was unaware in the house). Getting a lock is a brilliant idea - I will be doing this.

@SpacePug
I hope people see this reply, as it is so far down the thread... I've scrolled through a couple of pages of replies and I can't see any which refer to this: A few years ago, police were warning women not to go outside at night to turn off their outside tap if they heard it running. Some women had been attacked by someone lying in wait, having turned on the tap to lure women out of the house. (I guess it can also apply to men.) For this reason, I also don't empty the bins late at night (once it's dark) or take them out to the kerbside (again, read a news article about a woman being raped when taking out the bin, whilst her husband was unaware in the house). Getting a lock is a brilliant idea - I will be doing this.

@SpacePug
I hope people see this reply, as it is so far down the thread... I've scrolled through a couple of pages of replies and I can't see any which refer to this: A few years ago, police were warning women not to go outside at night to turn off their outside tap if they heard it running. Some women had been attacked by someone lying in wait, having turned on the tap to lure women out of the house. (I guess it can also apply to men.) For this reason, I also don't empty the bins late at night (once it's dark) or take them out to the kerbside (again, read a news article about a woman being raped when taking out the bin, whilst her husband was unaware in the house). Getting a lock is a brilliant idea - I will be doing this.

No idea why that posted 3 times! Very old keyboard with sticky keys...

I’d guess a window cleaner except for the fact they are unlikely to be working at the times you’ve noticed it, unless there have been other times they have turned the tap off properly and on these two occasions they used the tap earlier than you realised.

Do any neighbours have an outdoor tap? If not, it’s quite feasible to be someone using your water for all the work they are doing elsewhere. Very cheeky though.

Definitely weird and get a tap lock and a camera.

I also thought it was a CF window cleaner.

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.
In that case OP shoud leave a ham sandwich out as well in case they are hungry.

Does this justify using naice ham?

You should have an isolator valve inside the house (under the sink for instance?) so you can turn off the water completely. A nuisance but it'd stop it being turned on illicitly. If you have a water meter this would put your bill up.