Shropshire sewers' Grossbusters on a mission - to prevent pipes being blocked by fat and wipes
An expert 'Grossbuster' whose crack team cleans out Shropshire's sewers has appealed to county residents to change their toilet and sink habits to help prevent many of the 1,500 to 1,700 pipe blockages every year.
Severn Trent has launched its Grossbuster campaign at Halloween to highlight the horrors that are lurking down the sewers and to try to nudge people into changing their habits with wipes and cooking fat.
"We have found some funny things down the sewers of Shropshire over the years," said waste team manager and top Grossbuster Scott Burgin. "That includes car tyres, car parts, and even a pair of false teeth!
"Most domestic sewers are only 150mm in diameter, which is about the size of a toilet roll, so how some things get down there is a mystery."
But Mr Burgin's main bugbears are wet wipes and cooking fat, responsible for up to 1,700 blockages a year in Shropshire and 45,000 across the region.
"Seventy-five percent of blockages are preventable and we are trying to get people to change their habits," said Mr Burgin. "It only takes one wet wipe to start a blockage - and then the sewage can back up into someone's house or garden.
"When we have the evidence though people rarely admit to it, but we are hoping that it sows a seed and people change their habits."
Mr Burgin's advice is simple - put wipes and fat in the bin, and not down the toilet or the sink.
"If you are having a Sunday roast and the fat is solid white, scrape it into the bin, and if it is cooled down and a liquid, pour it into an old margarine tub or drink bottle and put it in the bin," he said.
"With blockages you might cause flooding in your own home or in a neighbour's home.
"It is important that we all look after each other," he said.
