Unmentionable unflushables causing problems in Burton On Trent
Severn Trent Water is reminding customers not to flush “unmentionables” as major work begins in Burton On Trent to clean up the problem.
The town is now the worst in the entire region for causing blockages by not knowing what shouldn’t be flushed or put down the sink. From Monday, teams will be out going door to door to discuss the issue while letters will also be posted to the worst areas.
Leaflets will be left at community centres and the council are helping to spread the word to councilors and other officers. All this is aimed at removing Burton On Trent from the list of worst towns so that customers don’t face sewage floods and even costly bills when private pipes are blocked.
Helen Fee, service delivery manager for the area, said: “It’s easy to think ‘out of sight, out of mind’ when we put items down the loo that would be better off in the bin. But for sewer workers on the receiving end of rubbish it’s a constant battle.”
Severn Trent spends over £10 million each year regularly cleaning over 700 kilometres of sewers which are prone to clogging up and clearing nearly 22,000 sewer blockages, a cost which is passed on to customers.
Two out of every five sewer blockages in the Midlands are caused by sanitary products and another fifth are caused by fat, oil and grease. Some of the other worst offenders are items such as cleansing wipes, cotton buds and nappies.
Samantha Dalton, who will be co-coordinating the work in Burton On Trent, said: “A blocked sewer is, of course, inconvenient for our customers but if it leads to sewer flooding it can be extremely unpleasant and stressful. When blockages and sewer flooding are caused by misuse of sewers and drains, they can be completely avoided.
“The drains that take waste water away from your home are only a few centimetres wide and are only meant to take water, loo 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 or cleansing wipes which can get stuck in smaller drains.
“It’s also easy to assume that the warm grease left in a pan after frying bacon, or preparing your Sunday roast would be ok to dump down the sink - that if you wash it down with hot soapy water it’ll be fine. But the reality is that eventually the fat and grease will cool and solidify, over time building up and blocking the drain or sewer. Better to wipe it out with a bit of kitchen roll & put it in the bin, or pour it into one of the free fat traps that Severn Trent provides to its customers or even a food container that’s about to be thrown away.
“Anything that gets stuck in the drain running from your home until it connects to Severn Trent’s sewer is the homeowner’s responsibility to repair and maintain, and unblocking, repairing, or replacing the waste pipe that runs from your home can be costly.”
To order a free fat trap, or find out more about who holds responsibility for which bit of sewer, visit www.stwater.co.uk/sewerownership.
Looking to help fight grime in your area? Remember to keep these items out of your loos and drains:
- Sanitary products
- Fat, oil, and grease -including butter, ghee, or frying oils
- Cleansing wipes, baby wipes & facial wipes
- Cotton buds & cotton wool
- Tissues
- Nappies
- Kitchen roll
- Condoms
- Razors or needles
- Medicine
- Car oil, paint thinner or other chemicals
- Bandages and plasters
- Dental floss
- Knickers & tights
- Incontinence pads