Shropshire homeowners urged to help prevent sewer blockages

The water company is urging homeowners to stop discarding inappropriate things like nappies down their drains.

The call comes after the firm revealed that the number of blocked sewers in Shropshire has soared in the last four months.

There were 145 sewer blockages in March this year compared with 82 across the county in November last year.

Severn Trent Water's waste water manager James Jesic said that it can cause raw sewage to spill out onto roads.

He said: "When a sewer is blocked the waste has to go somewhere. This means it usually comes out of a drain and can flood roads, or even properties with sewage.

"And, during wet weather - as we've been seeing recently – it's even more likely.

"As well as being extremely unpleasant for our customers, it also ends up costing money to unblock, which is money we can't reinvest elsewhere.

"But all this can easily be avoided, by people disposing of items in the bin, and not the toilet or sink."

Mr Jesic said things like sanitary products or nappies can easily block a drain when flushed down a toilet.

But there are also some more unusual things which have caused blockages in Shropshire's sewers.

In March Severn Trent found that a fish had caused a blockage in Madeley, while in January, sewers in Ditton Priors, near Bridgnorth, were blocked by piles of pants that had been flushed down a toilet.

Mr Jesic said putting fats, oils and grease can also cause big problems.

Severn Trent recommends putting fats into an old container like a yoghurt pot or a pasta jar before throwing it into a bin.

Mr Jesic said: "Because some of the sewer pipes are only a few inches wide, any fats or oils you throw down your sink can build up on the inside of it, clogging it up – even if you rinse it off with boiling water.

"To help keep fat, oil and grease out of the drains and sewers, Severn Trent customers can order a fat trap online at www.stwater.co.uk/fattrap.

"Left over fat, oil and grease from cooking can also be poured into a recycled yoghurt pot, pasta jar or other tin and then placed in the bin."

The homeowner is responsible for the waste pipe running away from their house up until it either crosses the property boundary or joins with another waste pipe or sewer.