Dave and Lee manage the teams that sort out sewer blockages on our network. They desperately want customers to hear this message: please, please, PLEASE don’t put weird stuff down the toilet!
A tyre. A football. A pair of pants. The leg of a chair (at least it wasn’t a stool!) You wouldn’t believe the strange things we’ve found blocking the pipes.
Most of the time, it’s nothing that dramatic – typically, blockages are made from wet wipes mixed up with cooking fat. The pipe gets blocked and, with nowhere to go, waste spills out – into someone’s home, or onto a nearby street where it flows down the road.
‘Until someone’s been flooded, they think it doesn’t affect them’ says Lee. ‘People buy products like wipes that say they are flushable, but they’re not really. It’s heartbreaking when you help someone who’s had what we call internal flooding – foul water spilling in your home.’
How do we unblock sewers?
When a member of the public reports an issue with the sewers, Lee and Dave send out a team to investigate. The team uses jet hoses and rods to dislodge the blockage, then special CCTV cameras to check everything’s clear.
Sometimes, the blockage needs to be pushed through to the next manhole where the fatberg or object can be pulled out. Occasionally they need to use a special machine that’s like a huge hoover to suck up the bits of blockage.
‘The smell of a fatberg is unbelievable!’ Lee says. ‘It’s like the most horrible, greasy, meaty smell – like a chip pan that’s never been cleaned.’ These fatty deposits, usually made of wet wipes and cooking oil, are hauled out of the sewer and taken to a waste centre for safe disposal.
If the blockage is an object, sometimes a worker (in protective clothing) climbs down a manhole to remove it. ‘Recently there was a whole tyre rammed in the sewer – we had to cut it in pieces to pull it out!’
Give us a call if you’re concerned
If you ever think you have blocked drains, give us a call. Our team will check what’s going on and sort it if it’s an issue with our part of the network. If it’s a problem with your pipes, we can sometimes sort that too – or let you know if you need to get a private company to fix it.
Often, people call a private company straight away. If the company investigates and finds the problem is on our part of the network, we’ll come and fix the problem but unfortunately, we can’t pay the cost of the company looking into the issue. That’s why it’s best to always call us first.
Our staff are part of the community
Lee and Dave are typical of the dedicated staff who live and work in communities throughout the South West. They drink the same water and swim in the same seas as everyone else, and they care deeply about providing great service and protecting the environment.
Unblocking sewers isn’t glamorous work, especially when it’s cold, wet and windy out. Yet it’s a vital service that safeguards the health and wellbeing of our communities. Next time you flush the toilet or pull the plug, spare a thought for the amazing people like Lee and Dave who help to keep the system flowing.
Here’s what Lee and Dave want everyone to know:
- Don’t put anything but the 3Ps (pee, poo and paper) down the loo.
- Even if wipes say they’re flushable, they’re not.
- If you flush nappies and sanitary towels etc. down the loo, it could result in waste flooding your home, garden or local area. This can result in the pollution of streams and rivers.
- If you think you have blocked drains, call us to have a look before you get a private company out – otherwise you might end up out of pocket.
- Don’t put cooking fat down the sink – let it cool, then wipe with kitchen paper or pour into a jar and bin it.