Severn Trent warning after blockages caused by wet wipes, fats, oils and greases

• Pictures from Severn Trent

New footage has revealed huge blockages caused by wet wipes, fats, oils and greases as Severn Trent warn people to only put the correct items down the toilet and sink.

They had to be cut down and removed by teams across Birmingham and the Black Country, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Coventry and Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Staffordshire.

Tiny remote-controlled cameras are dropped into clogged pipes by the water company to identify blockages, which can lead to costly flooding for homeowners.

One piece of CCTV footage shows a mass of wet wipes had partially closed a pipe on the network, which stretches for some 97,000km in total.

Another video shows how FOG has completely filled a sewer pipe.

Grant Mitchell, sewer blockage lead at Severn Trent, said: “Blockages like these are a real menace as they can lead to flooding if not detected and dealt with.

“Every year our team removes 30,000 blockages from across our waste network, and each week we pull two and a half tonnes of wet wipes from our sewers, which is the same weight as a Range Rover.

“These blockages can cause costly problems for customers and the environment and can be major contributing factor in the formation of fatbergs.”

Wet wipes and FOG can contribute to creating giant fatbergs.

One of the biggest fatbergs in recent times was discovered in Small Heath, Birmingham, in 2021, and was said to have weighed 300 tonnes and took days to clear.

Grant added: “Putting the wrong things down the toilet or drain can have a devastating impact on communities and the environment and we know blockages can be a horrible experience for our customers.

“We can all play a part in helping keep our sewers free of FOG. To do that, it’s vital we put fats, oils and any food in the bin, and remember to only ever flush the 3 Ps down the toilet too – poo, pee and paper.”