False teeth, mobile phones and life jacket flushed down toilets
Southern Water has revealed some of the more usual items found in its sewers
False teeth, mobile phones, cuddly toys and an inflatable life jacket are just some of the items Southern Water has found flushed down toilets.
Other strange items include a set of Christmas tree lights, a pickaxe end in Portsmouth and a pair of jeans in Southampton.
The company said wet wipes are one of the biggest causes of blockages in sewers and at wastewater treatment works.
Even wipes described as “flushable” cause blockages and the biodegradable ones often do not spend long enough in the sewer to start to decompose.
Matt Collins from Southern Water said: "The only things that should be flushed down the toilet are the three Ps – pee, poo and paper. For everything else - bag it and bin it."
Over 6,000 tons of wet wipes and "unflushables" were removed over an eight month period, enough to fill 750 eight cubic yard skips, which would stretch 2.75 km.