Severn Trent urging customers to help SLEIGH fatbergs this Christmas by preventing sewer blockages

The water company has a team of winter helpers who are providing helpful tips for people to protect their homes from things like costly and nasty blockages.

Severn Trent cleared a huge 19 million litres of fats, oil and greases from sewers and 28,782 blockages last year, all of which could have been prevented. Wet wipes, sanitary products, and kitchen roll are some of the biggest causes and when these are all mixed in with fats, oils and greases, they create fatbergs.

Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire in particular Stoke on Trent, and Birmingham have been highlighted as hotspot areas for blockages this year.

Grant Mitchell, blockages lead for Severn Trent and winter helper, said: “No one likes or wants a blockage when you just want to enjoy the holiday spirit but, luckily, there are things you can do to make sure you can keep a home protected.

“Remember that fats, oils and greases shouldn’t be poured down the sink, and that only the three P’s- pee, poo and paper- should be flushed down the toilet.

“We can all make sure our sewers are kept at their best and reduce the number of blockages that happen during the holiday season. So please keep in mind everything that goes down the sink or the toilet and ‘be a binner, not a blocker’.

The festive season brings many of us stuffed turkeys, honeyed veggies, and freshly baked puddings, but with all the wonderful staples comes fats, oils, and greases (FOG) making their way into our sewers, assembling and becoming blockages and fatbergs, potentially leading to flooding in customers’ homes.

As everyone gets ready to enjoy the holidays, Severn Trent are reminding customers to ‘be a binner, not a blocker’.

Severn Trent is giving advice and several tips to get homes ready and protected through the frosty winter:

In the kitchen:

• Use kitchen roll to soak up grease from plates and pans before washing up  
• Collect used cooking oil, fat and grease into a container, jar or tin and put it in the bin once cool 

In the bathroom:

• Only flush the three Ps- pee, poo and (toilet) paper and keep a bin in your bathroom for all unflushable items such as, sanitary towels, tampons, nappies and wipes

For more information on preventing blockages visit www.stwater.co.uk/avoidblockages.