News
Walsall resident misunderstands “rodding drains” and causes a sewer to overflow – with a fishing rod
One of our customers seems to have misunderstood the term “rodding drains” and has caused a sewer to block and overflow into the local area.
Homeowners in Bloxwich, Walsall, called us for help in dealing with an overflowing sewer, and when the team came out to help, they discovered that the sewer was blocked, causing sewage to back up into the area. The culprit – a fishing rod!
In the last year we've been called out to nearly 50,000 blockages in the region, of which around three quarters were caused by people misusing the sewer system. And the figures show that the situation isn’t getting any better. This problem is costing millions
of pounds per year clearing sanitary products such as nappies, wipes and in this case fishing rods from its network, all of which is unnecessary spending.
Caitlin Mayes, senior network technician, said: “I know that ‘rodding drains’ is a common thing, but we wouldn’t advise this. Someone has clearly tried to clear a blockage, which was probably caused by fat and grease as we found the sewer full of that. But they decided to use a fishing rod, which then got stuck and added to the problem. The sewers then got completely blocked and overflowed into the local area. How on earth they got a fishing rod down there, I don’t know, but this is just one example of amazing things we
find blocking the sewers.
“Having sewage flooding around your home due to sewers being blocked is one of the most horrible things that can happen to you, and we don’t want our customers to suffer in this way, as it’s entirely preventable. The drains that take waste water away from your home are only a few inches wide and are only meant to take water, toilet roll and human waste. Remember toilet roll is meant to break down when it gets wet so it washes easily through the system. That’s not the case with things like sanitary products, cleansing wipes or in this case fishing rods which can get stuck in smaller drains.
"These sewer blockages, if not identified and cleared can lead to sewers backing up and overflowing into people’s homes and gardens. And it’s not necessarily the people who put the wrong things down the toilet that are affected. The blockage can happen further down the street, so what you do in your home can be causing a problem for your neighbours. We're spending millions of pounds every year sending teams into sewers with jetting equipment and sometimes even spades to dig out these blockages.
“Many customers may not realise that they are responsible for the waste pipe running away from their home up until it either crosses the property boundary or meets with another waste pipe or sewer. Unblocking or repairing this section of pipe can be costly, but avoidable, if you’re careful about what you put down your toilet or your sink. So get yourself a bin in the bathroom and use that rather than the toilet.
”Remember, the homeowner is responsible for the waste pipe running away from your house up until it either crosses the property boundary or joins with
another waste pipe or sewer. If a problem occurs on this section of pipe, you will need to call a plumber. We support WaterSafe who have a
list of approved plumbers on their website at www.watersafe.org.uk.
If you do run into problems, either slow drains or a blocked sewer which is Severn Trent’s responsibility you can report it here or by calling 0800 783 4444.