Severn Trent is once again backing Unblocktober, the UK’s national awareness campaign aimed at preventing sewer blockages and flooding.  

With thousands of avoidable blockages cleared every year, the water company is calling on everyone to work together and be a binner, not a blocker. 

Items such as wet wipes, fats, oils, and greases (FOG) are wrongly disposed of down toilets and sinks, that can lead to serious blockages and flooding in the home that could prove costly to fix. 

In 2024 alone, Severn Trent cleared around 30,000 blockages, many of which could have been avoided with simple changes in household habits. 

Grant Mitchell, Blockages Lead at Severn Trent, said: “We see the impact of sewer blockages every single day, from flooded homes to awful, blocked pipes and these issues are often caused by things that should never have been flushed or poured away in the first place. 

“Unblocktober gives us a chance to shine a spotlight on these issues and encourage everyone to take action. It’s simple, only flush the three P’s—pee, poo, and (toilet) paper—and keep fats, oils and greases out of the sink. 

“We’ve cleared everything from wet wipes and nappies to toys and even clothing from our sewers. These items don’t belong there, and the consequences can be costly and unpleasant. By making small changes at home, we can all help protect our communities and the environment.” 

Wet wipes, even those labelled ‘flushable’, are one of the biggest culprits as unlike toilet paper, they don’t break down properly and can cause major blockages, sometimes resulting in sewage backing up into homes. Fats oils, and grease (FOG) is another major offender, congealing in pipes and forming fatbergs that are difficult and costly to remove. 

Severn Trent teams remove around two and a half tonnes of unflushables from sewers every year and recently cleared 14 million litres of FOG, the equivalent of six Olympic-sized swimming pools. 

Throughout Unblocktober Severn Trent will be sharing helpful hints and tips, as well as, shining a light of the waste crews through Sewer Stories. 

If unflushables make it through the network, they end up at sewage treatment works where they’re filtered out and sent to landfill, an unnecessary and environmentally damaging process that can be avoided. 

To learn more about how to prevent blockages, visit www.stwater.co.uk/avoidblockages. For more on the Unblocktober campaign, visit www.unblocktober.org. 

If you’re experiencing slow drains or suspect a blockage, report it online or call 0800 783 4444.