Muppet slippers spark Wolverhampton sewer saga

Severn Trent Water staff found the unusual footwear, carrying a picture of drummer Animal, when they were called to investigate a damaged manhole cover in Bilston.

Officials tweeted the image today, along with a warning for people to take care with what they send into the sewers.

Sewerage blockages cost Severn Trent more than £10m per year, with the number of cases in the Black Country rising 50 per cent between November 2013 and March 2014.

Russell Titley, senior network technician, said: "We might expect the cookie monster in a rubbish bin, but not a Muppet in the sewer! How on earth people have managed to flush a pair of slippers, I don't know. You wouldn't think footwear of any kind would fit down a toilet, but this is just one example of amazing things we find blocking the sewers."

"Having sewage flooding inside your home due to sewers being blocked is one of the most horrible things that can happen to you, and we don't want our customers to suffer in this way, as it's entirely preventable. The drains that take waste water away from your home are only a few inches wide and are only meant to take water, toilet roll and human waste. Remember toilet roll is meant to break down when it gets wet so it washes easily through the system. That's not the case with things like sanitary products, cleansing wipes or in this case slippers which can get stuck in smaller drains.

"These sewer blockages, if not identified and cleared can lead to sewers backing up and overflowing into people's homes and gardens. And it's not necessarily the people who put the wrong things down the toilet that are affected. The blockage can happen further down the street, so what you do in your home can be causing a problem for your neighbours. We are spending millions of pounds every year sending teams into sewers with jetting equipment and sometimes even spades to dig out these blockages.