Severn Trent has hit the streets of Stoke-on-Trent to talk to customers about how they can reduce sewer misuse, help keep their drains clear and avoid a costly blockage in the home. 

The water and waste company’s network protection team, in collaboration with its own River Rangers and contract partners ECAS, paid a visit to a number of areas across the city. 

The visits come as there has been an increase in the number of blockages seen in the area and teams wanted to offer advice to customers and talk to them about the work that goes into protecting the network.  

Hundreds of people were spoken to over two days and offered advice such as waiting for FOG (fats, oils and greases) to cool before disposing of it in the bin, and only flushing the three P’s – pee, (toilet) paper and poo, with the message to everyone to ‘be a binner, not a blocker’.  

The River Rangers also carried out inspections on the Fowlea Brook, Westport Lake Connections, Mersey Canal and the Trent, covering ten miles of watercourse and speaking to customers on the riverbanks on topics such as Get River Positive and misconnections.

Grant Mitchell, Severn Trent’s Blockages Lead, said: “We would like to thank everyone who took the time to speak to us over the two days. It was great to meet so many of our customers and we hope that they found it as valuable as we did. 

“The last thing anyone wants is for their home to be faced with sewer flooding that could be costly to fix and is totally avoidable.  

“When FOG enters our sewer network, it can attach to other things that shouldn’t be flushed, such as wipes and sanitary products and quickly block sewer pipes. Blockages can cause sewage to back up into people’s homes, the street or even into the local environment. 

“By working together, we can keep the sewers clear of FOG and unflushable items that cause a huge number of problems.” 

Helpful tips on how to prevent blockages include: 

• 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    

• Make sure things like gravy and sauces are binned rather than washed down the sink  

Likewise, to keep drains unclogged, only flush the 3Ps - pee, poo, and (toilet) paper- down the toilet and make sure to keep a bin in the bathroom for all unflushable items, like wipes, sanitary products and cotton buds.

Severn Trent managed to clear a shocking 28,782 blockages last year alone which could’ve been avoided if incorrect items were not put down the toilet and sink. It has also successfully prevented nearly 19 million litres of fats, oil and grease from entering the sewers.   

For more information on blockages and how keep your home protected visit www.stwater.co.uk/avoidblockages.