Wet wipes nearly caused sewage flood
A HUGE mass of wet wipes has been removed from a sewer in Abertillery.
According to Welsh Water it took workers several hours to unblock the sewer after the wipes nearly caused a “sewage flood”.
Workers from the water company were called to a property in the Blaenau Gwent town after a customer report.
The huge blockage was cleared by two sewerage operatives, Elliott Gray and Robert Congreve, and the sheer scale of the blockage meant they were working for several hours to retrieve all of the wipes.
The company has called on all customers to avoid flushing any wet wipes down the toilet – warning that flushing just one can result in sewers becoming blocked and flooding homes and businesses.
It also warned that customers should avoid tipping turkey fat, gravy and other leftovers down the plughole this Christmas – as they can cause fat, oil and grease to build up in the sewer and cause a flood.
The company has now written to all properties connected to the pipe to explain the impact of flushing wipes and asking them to dispose of them responsibly.
Welsh Water estimates it tackles around 2,000 blockages a month, at a cost of about £7m every year to the company – money which could otherwise be spent on its services or lowering customer bills.
Imogen Brown, Welsh Water’s head of wastewater networks, said: “The truth is, just a single wet wipe is enough to start a blockage in your sewer pipe and risks causing catastrophic flooding in your home – causing significant distress and cost just before Christmas.
“While the majority of people do the right thing and dispose of wipes in the bin, there are still some that are unknowingly risking their family homes.
“This incident in Abertillery is a stark reminder that only the three Ps should be going into your toilet – pee, poo and (toilet) paper – and everything else should either be recycled, if your local council provides this service, or put in your bin.”
The water industry body Water UK produced research which found that unflushable wipes made up about 93% of the material causing the sewer blockages.
Welsh Water runs a Stop the Block campaign to highlight the dangers of flushing materials that could block the pipes – working in schools to educate children about the risks of throwing materials like wet wipes, cotton buds, and even nappies down the toilet.
It also regularly discovers weird items in its sewers that have been thrown or flushed away by the public – some recently included giant cuddly toys, tricycles, adult toys, several jars of beetroot and even a live snake.