Taps on "wrong" side of bath - advice on repair

site_owner

My bath filler is on the wall side in the middle of the bath. This was recommended by the plumber who fitted the bathroom.

The tap has been damaged and needs to be replaced.
The original plumber is long gone.

I have bought the new bath filler and thought it would be handy enough once I had a look at everything.

However, it seems it's attached from underneath and so the entire bath is in the way of the fittings.

Has anyone got any suggestions of how this might be tackled?

I will call a plumber in after Christmas but would like to have my eyes open as to what to expect.

We have some spare tiles for the bath panel if it has to be broken but does the whole bath need to come out?

aujopimur

There are tools for accessing bath taps from underneath. With regard to the tiles, bath panels should never be tiled.

site_owner

Good to know there's a tool for the job.

Was not aware of the bath panel tiling issue. That's just the way it was put in. What kind of problems can it cause, other than access?

K.Flyer

What is the wall that the bath is up against made of, would it be stud plasterboard?
It may be much easier to access the tap side of the bath through the wall and create an access hatch for future use, or just repair the wall afterwards.

site_owner

It's onto an external wall unfortunately but that's an interesting idea