STAFF from a water company were not laughing when they found the 'Clown Prince of Crime' a long way from Gotham and blocking a sewage pipe in Worcester.
Severn Trent engineers said having to pull out The Joker from a blocked sewage pipe is "no laughing matter".
Wet wipes and sanitary pads are the most common cause of flooding but the staff was called out after a customer reported a sewer flooding in a customer's garden in Great Meadow, Warndon Villages.
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Grant Mitchell, from Severn Trent, said: "On some fortunate occasions, we’re able to clear blockages caused by sewer misuse before they cause any major problems.
"However, on this occasion, the figure, along with a broom handle and other un-flushables such as wet wipes, led to sewer flooding, which is a horrible thing for anyone to experience, especially when it’s completely avoidable.
"Our teams find bizarre items like this in our network regularly, along with other items such as sanitary products and wipes, which are often incorrectly flushed down the toilet.
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"To avoid blockages, we advise only ever flushing the three P’s – pee, paper, and poo, and disposing of kitchen fats, oils, and greases, once cooled, in the bin.”
Severn Trent has battled thousands of blockages across the region in the last year alone.
Experts from Severn Trent said the average home sewer pipe being c.150mm in diameter, the same as a new roll of toilet paper.
"It’s easy to see how misuse can quickly cause sewage to back up into people’s homes, the street, or even into the local environment, causing cause major incidents."
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Mr Mitchell added: "As we head into winter, the waste network pipes get colder and any fats which have been washed down the drain can quickly solidify in the pipe, which can quickly cause a blockage.
"The good news is that blockages are avoidable if people are careful about what they put down your toilet and wash down the sink.”
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