Outside tap won’t stop - what do I do?

[becomecomfortablynumb]

I rent a ground floor flat.

Heard a hissing noise late last night and assumed it was my bathroom fan. Went to work today like normal, came back and realised that my back garden tap has been leaking and spraying everywhere. When I turn it on, the spraying stops, but when I turn it off, it’s just continuous.

Letting agency advised turning off my water at the stopcock and they’ll try and sort something but can’t guarantee it will be tonight.

I can’t use my water meantime - can’t shower, wash dishes, or flush the toilet.

I’ve no idea what it could be or if I can reasonably fix it? I’ve not got any tools or knowledge at all, so probably make it worse.

Is there not a separate stopcock for it? I had to turn mine off when the pipe burst. That was when I discovered it luckily had its own stopcock. Otherwise, I'd just turn the water on when you need to use it and turn it off again after. Yes, it's a waste of water, but if you need to use it you need to use it!

I don’t honestly know. I don’t even know where the water meter is, google says both should be together but I can’t find one.

There's normally a separate stop valve for the outside tap. Ours is under the sink in the kitchen, the other side of the wall to the tap.

You've probably got a split in the pipe caused by it freezing up.

Letting agency are coming tomorrow, separate valve is also leaking. They said to turn the tap off at the stopcock at bedtime after a shower, toilet etc, then back on tomorrow for an hour, then back off. Im shattered. They’re letting themselves in whilst I’m at work.

There should be a lever that looks like this inside , close to where the tap is on the outside wall , in kitchen cupboard possibly, https://www.screwfix.com/p/flomasta-union-bib-cock-138mm-h-x-75mm-l-1-2-x-3-4-/117fa

Call your water company. They might be able to help, especially as the main stopcock leaves you without water but leaving it running is a waste of clean water (something they're targeted on by Ofwat).

Thanks, it’s Northumbrian water. I’ve managed to go for a shower, a wee and brushes my teeth. If I need another wee overnight I’ll just have to not flush. Letting agency said it should be fine to drain the garden overnight, and then turn back on for a short period before I nip to work.

I’m stressed up to the eyeballs, I just want to cry, I’m going on holiday on Friday, I haven’t packed, I can’t get washing dry in this bloody weather, I can’t now wash laundry, I’ve had to do overtime several times this week and I just want to cry. I gashed my bloody hand with a knife whilst rushing through dishes too, so now three fingers are plastered up and even more washing from the teatowels I used to stop the bleeding.

I don’t know why I said what company it is, it’s not you guys ringing them!!