Householders are urged not to feed the so-called giant ‘fatbergs’ infesting sewers.

South West Water (SWW) is asking customers to help prevent blockages and fatbergs for its campaign ‘Unblocktober’ by binning grease and sanitary products.

Hidden beneath the streets of the South West, ‘sewer monsters’ are forming every day. S

outh West Water is asking customers to stop pouring fats, oils and greases down the sink and not to flush wet wipes and sanitary products in the loo.

The combination of fat and wet wipes is causing stubborn drain blockages and if unchecked, these can grow into giant, concrete-like fatbergs – the most extreme form of sewer monster.

These blockages can cause flooding, unpleasant odours, pollution in rivers and seas, and costly damage to the sewer network. Unblocktober is a month-long UK campaign encouraging people and businesses to prevent drain blockages and protect waterways by disposing of waste responsibly.

The consequences can be serious – flooding in homes, gardens and streets, environmental pollution, and expensive repairs to the sewer system.

In the past year South West Water has cleared 7,000 avoidable blockages from its network, with three-quarters of those caused by wet wipes and fats.

As well as clearing blockages, the company works proactively to prevent them. Its teams use specialist monitoring technology to identify problem hotspots before they become an issue, and carry out targeted sewer cleansing to keep things flowing.

SWW is working with company ECAS (Environmental Compliance and Services) to help food outlets to dispose of their waste responsibly.

Philip Soden, managing director of ECAS, said: “South West Water identifies key areas where blockages occur. We visit hotspot locations and work with commercial kitchens to help prevent blockages.

“This includes introducing grease-trapping equipment and educating kitchen teams on companies to dispose of fats responsibly.”

ECAS has worked with over 2,000 food establishments since working with SWW, and 578 grease traps have been installed.

South West Water is asking householders to to avoid drain blockages by so-called fatbergs (comprising fat and wet wipes). Residents are asked to bin fat and wet wipes and not flush and pour down sinks. SWW workers are pictured clearing a blocked drain.
South West Water is asking householders to prevent so-called fatbergs. SWW workers are pictured clearing a blocked drain. (South West Water )