Black Country sewer blockages up by 50pc
Sewer blockages in part of the Midlands have increased by 50 per cent over the last four months according to new figures.
Bosses at the water firm Severn Trent say householders in the Black Country are putting everything from nappies and razors to medicines and oil down their plug holes and toilets.
As a result the company says it has seen a spike of 50 per cent in blocked sewers between November last year and March.
They had 207 reports of blockages in November of last year while a total of 312 blockages were reported during March this year.
Residents are now being urged to dispose of household items properly rather than via their sinks and toilets.
Severn Trent Water's waste water manager, James Jesic, says: "Sewer blockages in the Black Country have increased by a huge number over the last few months. This is caused by people putting things down their toilets and sinks which they're not supposed to.
"Sewers are only designed to cope with toilet paper and human waste. So some of the things people throw down the toilet, like sanitary products or nappies, can easily snag on the inside of a pipe and block it.
"And, because some of the sewer pipes are only a few inches wide, any fats or oils that people throw down their sink can build up on the inside of it, clogging it up – even if they rinse it off with boiling water."
The water company boss said that there are examples where the block sewers have caused sewage to pour into the road.
Mr Jesic added: "When a sewer is blocked the waste has to go somewhere. This means it usually comes out of a drain and can flood roads, or even properties with sewage. And, during wet weather as we've been seeing recently, it's even more likely. As well as being extremely unpleasant for our customers, it also ends up costing money to unblock, which is money we can't reinvest elsewhere.
"But all this can easily be avoided, by people disposing of items in the bin, and not the toilet or sink."
The company has now published a list of items that it wants people to dispose of via a bin. It includes fat, oil and grease, kitchen roll, cleansing wipes and cotton wool, nappies, razors, medicines, car oil, paint thinner and other chemicals, dental floss and underwear and tights.
