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[Bigron]

My cold water pipes have recently developed an annoying (and loud!) noise if the taps are turned on too rapidly or fully. It's especially bad when the bath is being filled, unless the tap is turned on by only a small amount, when it takes ages to fill.
The nopise is like a ship coming into port (Portnoy's complaint? - sorry Lizzie, that was worse that YOUR pun) and I have no idea what is causing it. Does anyone here have any ideas, please? 

Ron.

[amazonian]

Maybe air in the system, or a broken or loose bracket somewhere allowing two pipes to knock together ?

                                               

[Bigron]

I appreciate your suggestions, "amazonian!, but I can't see air getting into a systep directly fed off mains - can it? The sound isn't of pipes banging together, more like a siren of the WW2 variety, but you may have a point about loose pipes; there are some long runs which, if not fully secure, could set up a resonance with a rapid water flow.....maybe? 

Ron.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Its water hammer, pressure wave from closing the tap is causing the pipes to flex and bang.

Loose pipes don't help as they tend to jump/twitch and consequently bang

[Bigron]

Another strong contender, Marks DTM, but it doesn't happen when closing taps, only when opening, especially opening sharply and/or fully. The nouse can be reduced or abated by opening another tap in the house.
If you ever saw the Ealing Comedy "The Lady Killers", Mrs. Wilberforce cured HER water happer with - a hammer! Maybe I should..... 

Ron.

[Terbs]

Daughter had the exact same problem after changing taps in the bathroom. Every time you turned the basin taps on, the wailing started. Its now stopped as they have changed taps again !!!

[RossPhim]

Is it like a mooing noise?

[TD]

If I read the post correctly it doesn't matter which cold tap is turned on....the noise is there 

If so, I'd probably go for a piece of crap has entered the water pipe and is lodged somewhere.....the noise is the water getting past this obstruction .... can you pin point whereabouts the noise is coming from?

[cam.in.head]

if its only happened recently and not done it before and you havnt done any work on the plumbing then i would try experimenting with your main stop tap.maybee turn it down a little in case the water board have done some work and the pressure is now higher.if that doesnt make a difference and its only the bath tap i would try sticking a new washer in .they can become hard or loose and create a resonance .

[STEMO]

I agree with a couple of the above posts, there is muck in the system somewhere. Water tank ball valves used to get noisy before failing due to crap getting lodged in them. Starting with your stop tap, I would fully open and close all the cold taps in the house a few times, make sure you have a cold tap open when you do the stop tap.
Once this starts to happen, it can be a bugger to shift and people learn to live with it.
It could also be something as simple as a tap washer which is distorted or on its way out.

[redelitev6]

I used to work with some dodgy plumbers who "cured" this by turning down the water pressure on the stopcock to a bare minimum  ! .

[Bigron]

Nice responses, gents, thanks. I’ve covered most of those bases, but let me clarify, if I can.
Yes, the noise is rather like a loud mooing and seems loudest at the point of entry under the kitchen sink where the stopcock is; I’ve adjusted it from nearly off to full on and no difference.
I haven’t made any recent changes to the taps – they are all ceramic glands and work fine.
I replaced the Portsmouth valves in both loft tanks some time ago and there’s a Fluidmaster valve in the toilet as well.
It doesn’t matter which cold tap is turned on, it still makes this noise, but, as I said, not when there’s a very slow flow-rate.
In deference to the “cr*p in the system theory, I’ll try opening all taps fully and trying to purge the pipes…..

Ron.

[Sir Tigger KC]

Might be the washer in the stopcock? 

[Bigron]

Oh, I pray that you are wrong, your Sirship - I'd need the man from the waterboard to turn the water off whilst I change it!

Ron.

[STEMO]

Oh, I pray that you are wrong, your Sirship - I'd need the man from the waterboard to turn the water off whilst I change it!

Ron.

You could just put up with it, unless you are a serial tap turner oner.