Spalding is hot spot for Anglian Water campaign to prevent sewer blockages and protect our water courses

A rope dog toy was among more than 2,500 ‘unflushable’ items removed from a town’s sewers as part of a blockage reduction campaign - which includes deploying unusual devices.

Spalding is one of five hotspot areas for Anglian Water’s Unblocktober campaign, which is aiming to keep our sewers flowing by asking people not to flush unsuitable items.

The company is running the campaign during October to get people to think twice about what they flush to prevent sewer flooding incidents and to protect our water courses.

Up to 80% of sewer flooding and 67% of pollutions are caused by wipes, fats, oils and grease and other unflushable materials which shouldn’t be entering the sewer network.

As part of this operation, the firm has positioned ‘hedgehog’ devices within Spalding’s sewers to help capture the things that should not be flushed down the loo and has caught 2,557 items.

An Anglian Water spokesman said: “Spalding is actually one of the key hotspot areas our team is working in.

“So far, since the hedgehogs were rolled out in mid-August, we’ve already removed 2,557 unflushables from the sewer network in Spalding alone. Since launching our education campaign in Spalding in June and deploying our hedgehog devices in August we've seen a reduction in blockages of 43 vs the same time last year before the work started.

“Generally, the most significant contributors to blockages are wet wipes and fats, oils and greases. Around half a million wipes are flushed into the East of England’s sewers every day. When wipes combine with fats, oils and greases from the kitchen, they can create solid blockages, because they don’t break down like toilet paper, even those labelled ‘flushable’ or ‘fine to flush’. Likewise, fats, oils and greases solidify in the sewer, creating hard blockages in the pipes.

“We do get a variety of weird and wonderful objects down the sewers as well though. As a recent example from Spalding, the team found a dog toy!”

Anglian Water has been working on a block reduction programme across the East of England since August and has removed more than 18,000 items - mainly wipes - during that time.

It is also reporting an average reduction of 58 per cent in expected blockages across their hotspots compared to other areas.

The firm has also been installing sewer monitors in order to predict and prevent problems.

Wipes are a major issue these can mix with fats, oils and other items to create soild blockages within our sewers - many of which are Victorian.

Spalding has one of five high priority areas to have the hedgehogs deployed since August and have collected 18,071 unflushables in just eight weeks.

In the Anglian Water region, 80% of sewer flooding incidents are caused by blockages, many of which are the result of wipes, fats, oils and grease along other unflushables entering the sewer system.

Last year alone, the firm cleared more than 35,000 blockages, removing tonnes of waste that were linked to flooding and pollution events.

Connor Brailsford, Programme Manager at Anglian Water, commented: “Stopping fats, oils, and grease at the source is one of the most effective ways to protect our environment – especially when combined with action on unflushable items like wipes. That’s why we’re working in blockage hotspots across our region to raise awareness and protect local communities by keeping their pipes safe from blockages. We’re really pleased that the work we’re doing is already having such significant positive impacts – but there’s always more we can do, and we need our customers’ support.

“We’re asking everyone – businesses and customers alike – to take a moment and think before they flush or pour. If it’s not pee, poo, or toilet paper, it belongs in the bin, not the drain. Together, through initiatives like this and everyday good habits, we can protect our homes, rivers, beaches, and the environment for future generations.”