News

This Valentine’s Day Severn Trent is sharing a romantic tale to remind customers to love their loo and chuck wipes in the bin.

Every week, in every town, around ten tonnes of wipes and other items are flushed into sewers across the region.

In the last year Severn Trent has been called out to 30,000 blockages with three quarters of those caused by people flushing things like wipes.

James Jesic, from Severn Trent, explained: “Wipes and other items in our sewers are one of the biggest challenges we face as they cause a huge number of blockages across our network.

“It’s all completely avoidable if everyone remembers the 3Ps rule – only ever flush pee, poo and paper down your toilet.”

Already in 2017 the company has removed a pile of wipes mixed with fat and grease from sewers in Stroud and last week pulled a size 12 pair of M&S pants out of a local sewage works in Cheltenham.

James continues: “Things like toilet paper break down really quickly when submerged in water in our sewers but there are many other items, like wipes, sanitary products and cotton buds that can cause real problems in the pipes.

"By flushing these down the loo you’ll not only make your toilet sad but you’ll put your home at risk of flooding – and nobody wants to have to deal with that, especially on Valentine’s Day!

"And don’t forget, homeowners are responsible for the pipes on their own properties so if a problem occurs on a private pipe they’ll need to call out a plumber to sort it out. So this Valentine’s Day show your toilet some love and give wipes the elbow.”

Anyone who experiences sewer flooding should call Severn Trent on 0800 783 4444. To find a list of approved plumbers visit www.watersafe.org.uk.