Black Friday is nearly upon us, but shoppers looking to bag a bargain are being urged by Severn Trent to make sure that it’s not a ‘Block Friday’ instead.

As people prepare for the annual discount day, the water company wants to make sure that everyone is working together to prevent a ‘Block Friday’ in their home, which could be costly to fix.

While customers are busy in shopping centres across the county, they are being asked to spare a minute or two and think about what they are putting down the toilet or sink and if there are any changes that could be made, to protect their home from blockages and flooding.

Severn Trent knows winter can be a challenging time for its customers’, that’s why it’s encouraging people, along with their team of winter helpers, to ‘weather the winter together’.

They are providing helpful tips, to help people protect their home from things like costly blockages and burst pipes, as well as support when it comes to bills.  

Grant Mitchell, Severn Trent Blockages Lead and Winter Helper, said: “Let’s make this Friday a ‘Black Friday’ with lots of shopping and savings, rather than a ‘Block Friday’ that could cause a nasty surprise for customers and will need to be fixed.

“Now is the time to start thinking about the ways to protect the home and we have provided some great advice so that we can all ‘weather the winter together’.”

Customers are being asked to work together with Severn Trent so that we can all ‘weather the winter together’, make sure homes are ready for the colder temperatures, keep the sewers blockage free and remember to ‘be a binner, not a blocker’.

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 cleared 19million litres of fats, oil and greases from sewers, saving customers unnecessary issues, which is the equivalent of SIX Olympic size swimming pools of FOG.    

Severn Trent is providing several top tips and advice to get homes ready and keep them protected throughout the winter:  

In the bathroom: 

• Only flush the 3Ps - pee, poo and toilet paper and keep a bin in your bathroom for all unflushable items such as, sanitary towels, tampons, nappies and wipes  

In the kitchen:  

• 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    

Further information on how to prepare your home for winter can be found here.