Dublin Road 'fatberg' taken 6 weeks to clear

A sofa, a six foot christmas tree, false teeth and a school bell are just some of the stranger things which have been recovered from our sewers.

The list has been released by NI Water as they reveal they've spent over £5m in the last two years clearing blockages from underground pipes.

The problem with so-called fatbergs has also been highlighted by the company as they have spent the last 6 weekends tackling a huge build-up of grease under the Dublin Road in Belfast.

Gavin McCready, Networks Sewerage Manager explains, “The Dublin road houses a number of fast food outlets, therefore the problem of fat, oil and grease (FOG) in the sewers is significant in this area. While most businesses use grease traps and bin their waste correctly, those that don’t are contributing to a massive fatberg in the sewers around the area.

"Our team has been on the site, working over a number of Sunday mornings, clearing the fat that has solidified. This is labour intensive work that can only be done early in the morning before the traffic builds up.

“We also recently discovered another fatberg on the Shankill Road which was so big, it rose to the top of the sewer and had been imprinted with the manhole!

Mr McCready is appealing to all customers, especially food outlets, to dispose of their FOG appropriately. He advises householders to let it cool and then put it into the bin. Or pour it into a disposable container and take it to a local oil bank.

He added:

“Businesses also risk blocking their own drainage systems, which results in extra costs being incurred in clean-up efforts. These fat blockages can not only result in out of sewer flooding, but odour problems and the risk of rat infestations both near and beyond your premises. Ways to dispose of FOG include fitting a grease trap, using an enzyme dosing system or recycling it.

“We are doing our part by investing in the network, however, we will never win this battle alone; upgrading sewers will not stop blockages if the public are going to continue flushing inappropriate items such as wipes and disposing of FOG down the drain. We need the support of the public and businesses to dispose of these items properly.”

In the last two years NI Water has spent over £5 million clearing blockages from the sewer system for which 70-80% were caused by FOG and inappropriate items.

The company also released a list of some of the more bizarre items recovered by NI Water staff from the sewer system:

• traffic cones

• Bart Simpson mask

• a spooky face

• planks of wood

• frogs

• rats

• kittens

• tennis balls

• toy cars

• Fire extinguishers

• Barbie Dolls

• car bumpers

• dust bins

• carpets

• baby car seat

• a 6 foot Christmas tree

• money

• a scooter

• fatbergs

• a mop

• A banister

• Money, including notes

• Underwear

• A school bell – approximately 1 foot high!

• Engine parts

• Needles & Jewelry

• A sofa

• A Family of frogs feeding on the fats oil and grease

• Bikes and Prams

• Winnie The Pooh

• A golf bag

• House pets such as a kitten who was found alive in Ballyclare Wastewater Treatment Works and

• False teeth

• ni water
• sewers
• fatberg