Lard help us! Giant fatberg size of 11 buses clogs sewer
A GIGANTIC “fatberg” weighing 130 tonnes is blocking a major sewer in East London.
The 850ft-long solid mass of fat, oil, wet wipes, nappies and sanitary products was discovered in a Victorian-era tunnel.
It weighs as much as 520,000 packets of lard or 11 buses.
Engineers wearing masks will spend three weeks using highpower hoses and machinery to dislodge the waste and have it pumped into a tanker.
Matt Rimmer, Thames Water head of waste network, said: “This fatberg is up there with the biggest we’ve ever seen. It’s a total monster and taking a lot of manpower and machinery to remove as it’s set hard. It’s like trying to break up concrete.
“It’s frustrating as these situations are totally avoidable and caused by fat, oil and grease being washed down sinks and wipes flushed down the loo.”
CCTV camera inspections showed the 47in high by 27in wide sewer in Whitechapel was completely blocked. Mr Rimmer added: “These things can build up really quickly and cause big problems with flooding as the waste gets blocked.
“It’s fortunate that we’ve only had to close off a few parking bays to get to the sewer. Often we have to shut roads entirely.”
Thames Water spends around £1million a month clearing blockages.
Mr Rimmer added: “When it comes to preventing fatbergs everyone has a role to play.
“The sewers are not an abyss for household rubbish and our message to everyone is please bin it, don’t block it.”