More than 350 fatbergs – vile lumps of fat, oil and grease mixed with wet wipes and other unmentionable material which clog sewer pipes – were blasted away across the Isle of Wight’s sewer network in the past year.
The blockage balls are particularly prevalent this time of the year thanks to the contribution of turkey fat, cooking oils, and even leftover Baileys unhelpfully tipped down the kitchen sink. Wrapping paper and fairy flights are sometimes flushed down the pipes too…
Now, for the first time, Southern Water is lifting the lid on the lengths the company is going to destroy these alien objects across the network.
A super-powered heavy jet sending surges of incredibly fast water at a pressure of 2,500 pounds per square inch (psi) – a thousand times more powerful than the average home power washer.
To prove this power, teams recently staged and filmed a stunt run – akin to the iconic Day of the Jackal sniping scene of 1973 – at a special training zone, and smashed through a watermelon placed in a sewer as if it wasn’t there.
Scott Diamond leads 30 sewer jetting teams across the region, working 365 days a year – including the festive period. He said:
“We would never turn on the hose above ground – it would be too dangerous. The power of the jet is gigantic – the water is travelling at high pressure and several hundred miles an hour. That’s why we have the above ground training area.”
Article continues below this advertisement
Alex Saunders, our Head of Wastewater Networks, explained:
“Unfortunately, it isn’t just proactive work – all too often the crews will spend Christmas Day dealing with the aftermath of pouring turkey fat or other unflushables down the sink.
“These crews total more than one hundred people, which will be working over Christmas and New Year, ready to respond to blockages or other damage to the sewer network.”
Next you’ll be telling us Southern Water is doing a good job.
Any excuse to increase prices.
That is what they are paid to do, they would be out of
work if it was not for the Numpty’s who put anything
down the toilet.
I’m not sure that’s entirely true Enough.
How can you say that? He knows everything
And whwt did you do with it all? Pump it into the sea instead of treating it properly like you are charging us for doing? and using it for boss bonuses instead?