Water bill rise- toilet running excessively when flushing (but not after)

ARainyDay

Morning all!
May's water bill was about £12 higher than usual, but I had a suspicion that would be the case as I've noticed an issue with my toilet. After the initial flush, the toilet keeps running (water keeps flowing into the bowl) for a good 40- 50 seconds. It used to be that after the initial flush the water would run for about 10 seconds after the end of the cycle (when the cistern was full up again), but now it's running while the cistern fills up and while the flush is finishing it's cycle. It then stops once the cycle is complete (there is also a loud "squeak" which has also started to sound at the end of the cycle). This 40- 50 seconds of running water has obviously contributed to the rise in bills- I've checked and the toilet is definitely not still running after the cycle has ended, so it's not as bad as some problems, but still increasing my bill. Can anyone suggest any solutions?
Thanks!

Bendy_House

Could you post a photo of the cistern, please? Does the lid lift off? If so, a pic of the insides too.

(If you cannot remove the lid - even with our help - then you will likely need a plumber).

roddydogs

Don't think what you describe would add that much to wb have you checked elsewhere?

daveyjp

Sounds like a faulty cistern valve. If you can take the lid off do so, flush the toilet and see if any component is sticking as the water refills.

droopsnoot

I had a similar problem and adjusted the fill valve level - it was set too high, so didn't cut off appropriately, leading to an amount of water running for maybe 10-15 seconds after it should have stopped.