Replacement stop cock (Ed.)

[ABCwarrior]

I'll spare you the details, in my mums house and doubt the tap below the sink has been turned off since at least 2003 when the last kitchen went in. I've tried every method I've researched bar the propane torch because it won't work on it's side. So I called in a plumber(reputable) and thought, pay for it then it's their stress. They came out and couldn't get to the outside (Scotland, "shared one" out on the path stopcock) one to turn the water off to the house, claiming it was "full of soil and roots" ,having initially grappled around through the access holes when the kitchen unit was still complete at the back to see what and where the pipes were. He said I needed to get Scottish Water to clear the stopcock outside first before he could do anything. So that's probably £100. So later I went out to have a look , with a spoon in my pocket, and cleared it in about 20 mins. Need to get to Screwfix and get a key (any recommendations?) to see if it actually moves though... Then I took my multitool and opened up the back of the unit, plumber advised(and I was already thinking this) best not to remove the old one under the sink as the old supply pipes can be brittle etc (1979 house).
SO .... what are my options?
1/Leave it alone and hope nothing happens (there's other plumbing issues needing addressed in the house also, and I really don't like being somewhere you cannot turn off the water)
2/ Cut out the elbow and fit a Pegler 22mm PB300 close to the original stopcock with a short piece of 22mm on the other side. Fit a 22mm compression elbow on the horizontal pipe close as possible to the 22(by 15/15) T connection pointing up with a short 22mm piece. Connect the 2 short pieces with a 500mm braided/flexible JG speedfit hose to enable a 180 degree turn without adding width??(tuck the loop up the back of the remaining back of the unit beside the wall). I'm not sure if given the distance between the rising valve and the elbow this could be done??
3/ Aladdin system- won't fit, needs 51mm pipe clear
The kitchen badly needs replaced but this will be for the(whoever they are) new owners to do sometime in the future(!), I just want to ensure there's the ability to turn off the water for the time being so it doesn't really matter what it looks like.
On a side note I despise these stopcocks as much as trailer sockets. 50 odd years and nobody has made something bombproof that doesn't f**k up, and I hate UK houses for putting everything in such stupid, inaccessible places with zero thought for future maintenance/replacement!!

Does anyone have any suggestions of a better way? Even considered just a cheap isolator valve instead of the pegler and keep it all pushfit so the only stress would be making the cuts (even that will be by angle grinder as no way of getting a pipe slice in...

TIA

 

[JohnD]

Clean the soil out of the pit and show us what's inside. Your spoon will do it, though I use a builder's vac with steel tube.

Why should a 1979 pipe be brittle? Is the incomer black plastic?

If you can't pull out the kitchen unit, you can cut a bigger access hatch with a jigsaw or multi cutter. Big enough to get your hands and tools in. If you make it rectangular you can make a new panel to fit afterwards.

 

[ABCwarrior]

Cheers for that. Yes the pipe looks like black plastic, so should that be ok to re-do, as for the outer that's as deep almost as I could get with the spoon, might use a screwdriver tomorrow to see if I can get further down(it got a lot stonier) but working by myself on the pavement, no hi Viz near a busy junction I had too many people pull up in their cars and ask if I needed help and was ok l thought I'd collapsed.. I thanked them for their concern but maybe need a banksman lol or a sign. From what I've exposed it'll either turn or it won't surely, used to see ones like this in a place I worked at that were like this?

 

[JohnD]

Depending on your soil content, it may soften if wet. I use a hose as it is silty here, my wet-and-dry vac sucks out water, mud and small stones.

Black poly is probably an inch size, not metric (may be embossed on the side), you can still get stopcocks to fit, but there is a reasonable chance yours will free off if you turn the spindle fractionally both ways. It's important to get a handle that fits or the brass will round off.

I have a feeling that a wrinkly old plumber will be more used to it.