Monitoring a new water meter...

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I've been thinking about monitor water usage for a long while now
(after
reading the BWrired.nl website a long time ago.
I've always been a little worried as the plastic container that holds the
meter is in the front lawn, but was put in a little low and is always full
of stinking muddy water which I'm pretty sure would mix with homebrew
electronics...
However, last week Anglian Water turned up, dig up a chunk of the lawn,
and replaced the whole lot. So now I have a new meter, it's made by Elster
and according to markings on it has pulsed output...
I instantly think... a few metres of cable buried just under the lawn,
connect one end to the water meter, the other to the VIOM, a little VIOM
code and bingo, water meter usage graphs...

My problem is I can't see how or where to connect the cable to the meter,
or even get the meter, err, out to have look at it...
Has anyone else done this already or have any hints?

Lee