In the run up to Halloween, Severn Trent’s Stickleback is getting into the spirit of the season with a creepy-crawly new name, The Spider, as it continues to spin its web of protection across the Midlands sewer network. 

The innovative piece of equipment, which helps prevent sewer blockages by catching debris before it causes chaos, has been renamed to celebrate the spooky season.  

And with some truly terrifying finds recently uncovered in our sewers from fatbergs the size of pumpkins to petrifying piles of wet wipes, it’s clear that The Spider is working overtime to keep things flowing. 

Grant Mitchell, Severn Trent Blockages Lead, said: "The Stickleback, or should I say The Spider, is one of our most effective tools in the fight against sewer blockages and is helping us trap the real horrors lurking in our pipes all the time.  

“But we still need the help of our customers and we’re asking everyone to ‘be a binner, not a blocker’ and bin their wipes and avoid pouring fats and oils down the drain, or risk summoning a real-life plumbing nightmare. 

“So, this Halloween, while you’re dodging ghosts and ghouls, spare a thought for the unsung heroes of the sewer world. The Spider is on the prowl, and it’s hungry for horrors.” 

Once again, Severn Trent is backing Unblocktober, the UK’s national awareness campaign aimed at preventing sewer blockages and flooding. Throughout the month, the water and waste company will be sharing helpful hints and tips, as well as, shining a light of the waste crews through Sewer Stories. 

In the last year alone, Severn Trent has tackled over 30,000 blockages, many of which could have been avoided. The most common culprits? Hair-raising hauls of unflushables like wipes, cotton buds, and sanitary products.  

But that’s not all, there are a number of other Halloween horrors that have been found down the sewers when they shouldn’t have been there and these include some bones that were recently found to be causing a blockage as well as apples, a dead tarantula, but the biggest horrors were wet wipes! 

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.