Warning over ‘unflushables’

Anglian Water has urged residents in Peterborough to only flush away toilet paper after ‘unflushables’ caused a major sewer blockage in parts of the city at the weekend. Sewers in Paston were blocked for the majority of Friday evening and the weekend and with this causing excess water to be expelled from the system.

Residents have told the Peterborough Telegraph of the flooding problems this blockage has caused in their homes and businesses.

On Sunday (February 21), the Peterborough Telegraph saw evidence of raw sewage and waste leaking from a drain in Paston Ridings, near Witham Way, and into the road.

Anglian Water has since confirmed that the blockage was caused by a series of ‘unflushables being put down the toilets by residents. The blockage has been cleared and they will soon return to check that the pipes are in full working order and that there is no remaining debris. An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “Our teams were called out this weekend to clear a large sewer blockage in Paston, Peterborough which obstructed the flow of the network and caused some localised flooding in the area.

“The blockage was caused by a build-up of fats, oils, greases and other unflushables that had been wrongfully disposed of within the network.

“We will soon be completing a CCTV survey of the sewer pipes to ensure there is no debris left in the pipes and to ensure they are working as they should.

“To help prevent sewers from causing issues as seen at the weekend would ask everyone to ensure they are only putting the 3Ps down the toilet – Pee, Poo and [Toilet] Paper – and ensure that wipes, sanitary items and cotton buds go in the bin.”