Anglian Water has cleared 91 tonnes of blockages in Ipswich due to unflushable items
Residents in Ipswich have disposed of nearly 100 tonnes of ‘unflushable’ items in the last year, new data has revealed.
Anglian Water has warned of the potential risk of flooding as a result of avoidable blockages in sewers during what is one of the wettest parts of the year.
At its Ipswich water recycling facility alone, this year it has filtered out the equivalent to 91 tonnes of items, which were not safe to flush down the toilet.
This was mainly made up of wet wipes, cotton buds and sanitary items, reducing the capacity of sewers.
Regan Harris, from Anglian Water, said the authority worked in one of the flattest regions in the country, which is vulnerable to extreme weather.
"We clear tens of thousands of blockages a year, 80 per cent of which are completely avoidable,” Regan said.
“But aside from being costly and time consuming to deal with, they also greatly reduce the capacity of our sewers and mean the risk of flooding or pollution is greater.”
Regan said Anglian Water was investing in improvements to cope but urged people to consider what they flush down the toilet as it could make ‘all the difference’.
In total, 2,800 tonnes of items across the entire East of England, with Great Billings in Northamptonshire being the worst offender – with 248 tonnes in the past year.
This was followed by Colchester, with 205 tonnes.
King’s Lynn came in bottom, with 34 tonnes of unflushable items.
Regan said wet wipes were ‘by far the worst culprit’ when it came to sewage problems.
However, tampons, cotton buds and cooking fats could also cause issues.
A spokesperson for Anglian Water said the firm has cleared over 13,565 blockages this year alone.
The data comes as part of its ‘Unblocktober’ campaign, which it has been running since 2019.
It aims to highlight the risks due to blocked sewers and educate the public on how to avoid it.
The full data list is as followed:
- Cambridge – 131 tonnes
- Whitlingham (Norfolk) – 144 tonnes
- King’s Lynn – 34 tonnes
- Cliff Quay (Ipswich) – 91 tonnes
- Cotton Valley (Milton Keynes) – 137 tonnes
- Great Billing (Northamptonshire) – 248 tonnes
- Colchester – 205 tonnes
- Southend – 39 tonnes
- Cannick (Lincolnshire) 70 tonnes
