Be kind to the sewers this Easter

In these difficult times, sitting down for nice roast dinner this Easter is a real comfort but we'd like to ask our eight million customers to be kind to the 94,000km of sewer pipes that take away the Midlands’ waste.

Sewer blockages strategy lead, Grant Mitchell, explains: “Although families can’t all get together at Easter this year as they normally would, people may still be celebrating over a nice dinner. So, if you’re sitting down to a traditional roast lamb lunch for example, don’t forget to scrape pots, pans and plates into the bin, before washing up. And always leave leftover cooking fat to cool, before throwing it away.

“And, if your kids have got mucky from their chocolate Easter eggs, put the wet wipes, if that’s what you’ve used to clean them up, into the bin, not down the loo.”

We clear around 47,000 sewer blockages each year - and these can happen more often during holiday periods, like Easter.

Around 70% of blockages are caused by the wrong things being put down the sink and toilet. Things like fats, oils, and grease (commonly known as FOG) being rinsed down the sink with the washing up or toilet roll alternatives such as kitchen roll and wet wipes, being flushed down the toilet are a huge issue right now.

When these items enter the sewer network, they can often form congealed lumps – called fatbergs, that block the pipes ­– leading to sewers overflowing and potentially causing damage to homes and the environment, and no-one needs that complication in their life right now.

Grant added: “While many people will be tucking into their Easter eggs, we’ll still have our key workers in our call centres and field teams ready to do essential jobs such as fixing burst pipes and clearing sewer blockages. So if you have an urgent water or sewage issue at any time, especially over the Bank Holiday weekend, we’ll be here, ready to deal with it. Please tweet us @stwater, visit our website here or give us a call on 0800 783 4444 and we'll be happy to help."

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