Yes John has a point but my thoughts are if the valve is the plastic type when purchased they have two valves or plungers whatever you like to call them, one for high pressure and the other for low pressure [loft tank fed] it seems it's a mains fed cistern with wrong one and has the low pressure one in it instead of the high pressure so when there is a flow it could cause the cistern valve to open slightly.
Nobby
April 2008