Wet wipes and other unflushable items are causing hundreds of blockages in Worcestershire’s sewers every year.

Severn Trent said two-and-a-half tonnes of items that should be flushed down the toilet are pulled out of its sewers every week.

The company is urging people not to put fat, oil or grease down the drain and to avoid flushing wet wipes down the toilet.

These can form blockages in sewer pipes, which cause sewage to back up into homes, gardens and into the environment.

Worcester News: Skips full of wet wipes at a sewage treatment works in WorcesterSkips full of wet wipes at a sewage treatment works in Worcester (Image: Severn Trent)

Wipes that manage to reach the sewage treatment works without causing a blockage in the network are removed through a screening process and end up in a rag skip, like the one pictured at Severn Trent’s Worcester site.

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Severn Trent says the average home sewer pipe is about 150mm in diameter - the same as a new roll of toilet paper - so it doesn’t take much for a blockage to form. 

Homeowners are responsible for waste pipes on their property

Operations manager Scott Burgin said: “If something doesn’t smell good in your neighbourhood, it could be due to a blockage in the sewer– and that could lead to a scary mess for everyone in the street.

“Blockages are the result of people flushing just one wipe here and there or washing the odd bit of fat down the sink with hot soapy water, and not realising that it’s all collecting in the pipe and creating a gruesome problem.

“These sewer blockages, if not identified and cleared can lead to sewers backing up and overflowing into people’s homes and gardens, which is a terrible thing to experience and completely preventable.”

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“Sewers are only designed to cope with the three Ps – pee, poo and paper - anything else including fat, oil and grease from the kitchen and nappies, tampons and sanitary products belong in the bin.”

Mr Burgin added that homeowners are responsible for the waste pipes running away from their home until it either crosses the property boundary or meets another waste pipe.

Blocked sewers can be reported to Severn Trent at www.stwater.co.uk or by calling 0800 783 4444.