Waste water discharged into river after suitcases shoved into sewer in Wakefield

suitcases shoved into a sewer in Wakefield
It took three hours for the cases to be removed from the sewer, Yorkshire Water said. Credit: Yorkshire Water

Sewage was discharged into a river after a sewer was blocked by four suitcases, a water company has said.

Yorkshire Water was called after a sewer cover was removed and the luggage was deliberately pushed into the network at Albion Mills, Wakefield.

It causing waste water to back up and be discharged into the River Calder via an overflow outlet.

The company said it took three hours to remove the items and return the sewer to normal.

Miles Cameron, head of customer field services at Yorkshire Water, said: “This incident illustrates the impact people can have by using the sewer network at a dumping ground for unwanted items."

He added: "It is vital people do not use the sewer network as a way of getting rid of unwanted items.

"Foreign objects cause blockages in the network that can lead to wastewater escaping the network in properties and gardens, the local environment and watercourses, as happened here."