Meters can be fitted inside or outside a property but will always be on the main cold water pipe into the house. We usually try to fit your meter outside, as we can read your meter easily.
Most meters are installed in the ground in the footpath outside your property boundary or in your front garden, on your drive or footpath. It will usually be where the existing boundary stop tap is (the place where you can turn off the water to your whole property).
If your meter is fitted outside, it will always be in the ground, under a meter cover marked with the letters 'W', 'WM' or the words 'Water', 'Water meter'. Your meter will not be fixed to the side of your house.
If you live in a house, the cover is usually a small cover about the size of a DVD box or the size of your hand (pictured below). Large, round covers are usually for drainage and are not used for meter fitting.
If you live in a flat, you may have an individual cover for your meter, as above, but you may share a much larger meter pit with your neighbours. The covers for these larger meter pits are very heavy and we would not recommend you try to lift it yourself. We will always read these meters for you.
If you are finding it difficult to find the small cover, your neighbours may be able to help as very often all the stop taps and meters for similar houses are in a similar location. Unfortunately, meter covers can sometimes be covered by shrubs or bushes and may sometimes be buried during resurfacing work carried out by other contractors.
We have a short video on how to read your meter:
Sometimes, we may have had to fit your meter: inside your property, for example, in older blocks of flats or if you live in a property with a shared supply
If your meter has been fitted inside your property, it is usually on the cold water feed to the first cold tap on the system. It will be fitted at the same location as your internal stop tap. This is the tap on the cold water pipes that turns off all the water. Typically, this will be under the kitchen sink but could be in a bathroom or WC. You should also consider looking in your utility area or in the former location of your kitchen if this has been moved.
If you still can't find your meter, we would be happy to check our records for you. Please use our
online form to email us. We will be pleased to help.