South West Water clears 450 tonnes of 'unflushables' from its pumping stations
Cornwall's water provider has issued a warning about stuff like wet wipes and cooking oil
Last updated 9th Oct 2022
South West Water is urging customers to help avoid blocked pipes by making sure only the correct things go into drains and down the toilet.
Every year, tens of thousands of litres of waste fat, cooking oil and grease are poured down sinks by people who do not realise the problems this could cause.
When these combine with 'unflushable' items such as wet wipes, hygiene wipes, cleaning wipes, cleansing pads and sanitary products, it causes blocked sewers which can lead to flooding in homes and in the environment.
In 2021, South West Water removed over 450 tonnes of unflushables from pumping stations: the equivalent of 73 million wet wipes and 30 double decker buses!
The company is supporting the national Unblocktober campaign to help tackle the problems facing our drains.
During the summer, South West Water's Sewer Network Protection Team visited over 100 tourist businesses across the region, supplying over 8,500 items of promotional material encouraging holidaymakers to play their part and help keep our sewers clear of blockages.
South West Water's Operations Director - Wastewater, Iain Vosper, said: "When fat, cooking oil and grease mix with wrongly flushed items, such as wet wipes, hygiene wipes, cleaning wipes, cleansing pads and sanitary products, it causes blocked sewers which can lead to flooding in homes and in the environment.
“Every year we deal with around 8,500 blocked sewers across our region, around one every hour, and these can increase the risk of flooding and damage to customers’ homes and properties.
“That's why we’re asking customers to play their part by only flushing the 3Ps – pee, paper and poo – down the loo, and avoid pouring fats, oils and greases down the sink".
Jacob Larkin, spokesperson for Unblocktober said: "Nationally we currently have over 75,000 blockages in our drains that are mainly caused by cooking oil and wet wipes. This is causing huge ecological and climatic damage, especially to our coasts and waterways.
“We simply cannot stand by and watch the damage to our environment occur for any longer, that is why we are asking the whole of the UK to take the pledge".
Unblocktober is the world’s first month-long national campaign and awareness month to improve the health of our drains, sewers, watercourses and seas - driven completely by the British public.
More information about the issues caused by blocked pipes, and how to avoid them, can be found on South West Water's website.