DON’T flush kitchen roll and wipes down your toilet – that’s the plea from water company Severn Trent.
In the last two weeks the firm, which supplies water throughout the West Midlands, has dealt with more than 3,000 reports of sewer flooding and blockages with kitchen roll being one of the culprits.
Spokesman Grant Mitchell said: “We know just how worrying it is for everyone at the moment and we want to reassure our customers that we’re working really hard to keep our essential service running.
“In the last two weeks we’ve dealt with more than 3,000 reports of sewer flooding or sewer blockages in our area which is much busier than normal. And we’re seeing more and more blockages caused by kitchen roll and wipes.
“We know some people are having to resort to using a whole manner of things to substitute for toilet roll at the moment, but a sewer blockage is the last thing anyone needs right now.
“So we want to let everyone know that kitchen roll and wipes are not designed to break down like loo roll is so please bin them otherwise you could end up blocking your sewer pipes.
“On top of doing one of the most mucky jobs out there, our teams are getting asked why they’re out and about a lot at the moment, but we want to reassure everyone they are only doing work that is essential.
“If more and more sewers need unblocking, they need to be out more, so please be understanding, as no-one really wants to dig out poo, kitchen roll and wipes.
“All this can easily be avoided, so if you do need to use something other than toilet roll, just remember to pop it in the bin, and not the toilet Thank you.”
If you do run into problems, either with slow drains or a blocked sewer which is Severn Trent’s responsibility it can be reported at stwater.co.uk or by calling 0800 783 4444.
