WATER company Severn Trent is calling on residents to be mindful about what they put down their drains.
This comes after employees found Spongebob Sqaurepants at the centre of a blockage in a Midlands sewer pipe – a long way from his pineapple in Bikini Bottom.
Last month, Severn Trent teams were investigating a reported blockage, and couldn’t quite believe their eyes when they discovered who was causing it.
Grant Mitchell, from Severn Trent, said: “Our engineers did manage a chuckle but this blockage could have caused sewage to back up into people’s homes, the street or even into the local environment, which would be absolutely awful. On this occasion we managed to get there just in time before it caused a major incident.
“Thankfully, his mate Patrick was nowhere to be seen, but this is just one example of the bizarre things our teams find blocking sewers on a daily basis.”
Severn Trent has battled thousands of blockages across the region in the last year alone.
Grant added: “When fats, oils and greases enter our sewer network, they can join with wipes and other sanitary products incorrectly flushed down the toilet, causing masses that block sewer pipes, and it doesn’t take much for a blockage to form.
“To avoid blockages, we advise only ever flushing the three P’s – pee, paper and poo, and disposing of oils, once cooled, in the bin.”
For further information and ways to avoid sewer misuse click here.
