ENGINEERS cleared more than 1,100 wet wipe, nappy and fat blockages in Swindon sewers last year, it has been revealed.

It came as Thames Water urged people to be careful about flushing the items down the toilet. The so-called unflushables do not break down in the same way as things like toilet paper, causing huge blockages.

The water company said more than 700 blockages last year were caused by items which don’t break down in sewer pipes, such as wet wipes, nappies and sanitary products. A further 200 were caused by fats, oils and grease poured down the sink.

Matt Rimmer, Thames Water’s head of waste networks, said: “Sewer blockages caused by unflushable items being put down toilets and sinks pose a massive problem, risking raw sewage backing up in to homes or businesses and costing millions of pounds to clear.

“They can cause massive and disgusting fatbergs that take a great deal of effort and teamwork to clear and get the sewer working well again.

“We’d urge everyone to help by only flushing the 3Ps – pee, poo and paper – as well as disposing of fat and oils in the bin, not the sink.”

Across the Thames Valley, £18m is spent every year clearing 75,000 blockages from sewers.

People are asked to collect cooking fats and oils in a container like a jam jar, allow it to cool and bin it - rather than pour it down the sink.

Wet wipes, sanitary items, nappies and other toiletries should also be binned rather than flushed down the toilet. Andrex became the latest company to launch a flushable wet wipe, specifically designed to break up in the sewer.

Thames Water said that from 2017 to 2019 an average of 3.5 blockages were cleared in Swindon for every 100 households, compared to four across the region.

The number of blockages in Swindon in 2019 was a slight increase on the 2018 total and Thames Water is emphasising the importance of only flushing items that can break down in sewers.

The company’s network protection team also visits food establishments across the region, ensuring they are not putting fat, grease and oil down their sinks and that fat traps are installed and working properly.

Businesses that allow fat, grease and oil to get in to sewers can face prosecution, fines of hundreds of thousands of pounds and may even be forced to close.