Workers spend hours cleaning mountain of wet wipes from sewer in Abertillery

A huge mass of wet wipes have been removed from a sewer in Abertillery.

Workers from Welsh Water were called to a property in the Blaenau Gwent town. It took them several hours to unblock the sewer after the wipes nearly caused a flood.

The company has called on all customers to avoid flushing any wet wipes down the toilet – warning that flushing just one wipe can result in sewers becoming blocked and flooding homes and businesses.

It also warned that customers should avoid tipping turkey fat, gravy and other leftovers down the plughole this Christmas – as they can cause fat, oil and grease to build up in the sewer.

Workers recently discovered a blockage in Cardiff that consisted of 10 bags of wet wipes Credit: Welsh Water

Welsh Water estimates it tackles around 2,000 blockages a month, at a cost of £7m - money which could otherwise be spent on its services or lowering customer bills.

Imogen Brown, Welsh Water’s Head of Wastewater Networks, said: “The truth is, just a single wet wipe is enough to start a blockage in your sewer pipe and risks causing catastrophic flooding in your home – causing significant distress and cost just before Christmas.

“While the majority of people do the right thing and dispose of wipes in the bin, there are still some that are unknowingly risking their family homes.

“This incident in Abertillery is a stark reminder that only the three ‘Ps’ should be going into your toilet - pee, poo and (toilet) paper - and everything else should either be recycled, if your local council provides this service, or put in your bin.”