2nd stopcock in kitchen query

[BobbyJoe]

Hi everyone,

I figured out what the 2nd stopcock does in the kitchen wall. I ran the cold water tap in the kitchen and turned the stopcock on and off and what it did was control the water flow and even when fully turned off the water was still running albeit at a lesser rate than when fully open.

I am pretty sure it is an old stopcock but still functional, it is attached to a 15mm pipe which connects to another large pipe which runs down to the flats below me and supplies the mains drinking water to the other flats.

Are these 2nd stopcocks normal to have flats and should it be fully turned on?
Should there be a check valve or anything on the pipe to prevent any contamination or is it fine the way it is?

Thank you and any advice would be great.
Picture 1 is the stopcock under the sink
Picture 2,3 is the 2nd stopcock in the wall panel and to the right of the picture you can see the large pipe it is connected to which runs to the flats below me and may be the shared cold water supply mains pipe.

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[ShaunCorbs]

I’m guessing they added a second as the first one doesn’t fully shut off etc

 

[Chuck]

It's quite common in a flat, if there is an issue with the original stopcock (seized, passing, inconvenient position, etc.) to simply fit another one in series. This is because isolating and then restoring the water supply to a whole block of flats can be a costly exercise.

 

[BobbyJoe]

Thank you for the replies. The stopcock under the sink can turn the cold water on and off in the kitchen.
The 2nd stopcock in the wall when turned off doesn't stop the cold water in the kitchen it only makes the tap water flow fast or slow.
Should both stop cocks be turned fully on and is there a need for a NRV/check valve or is it safe when water is mains fed to the kitchen.

Thanks