Dislodged Fitting Blocks Kilkeel Sewer
01 August 2016 16:50
A privately fitted sewer tee, used to make connections to the main public sewer, was recently removed from the system in the Munroe Villas area of Kilkeel after repeated reports of blockages causing flooding were received.
In this particular instance, the sewer tee seems to have either been incorrectly fitted by a private contractor or has been dislodged during site development work.
A dislodged sewer tee joins items like bicycles, old fridges, planks of timber and children’s toys as one of the stranger items we have found blocking our sewers, but blockages themselves are far too common. These, alongside what we call the ‘Dirty Dozen’ and Fats Oils and Grease (FOG) can cause severe damage to the sewerage system and result in serious blockages and disruption to the service we provide for our customers.
The ‘Dirty Dozen’ are the most common items the public flush and dump down our sewers. The ring leader is the innocent looking baby wipe, closely followed by the sanitary towel. These ordinary household items head a gang of everyday products that cause mayhem with the sewer system when flushed down the toilet or dumped in the sewers.
We are literally fighting a daily battle to clear blocked sewers at a cost of over £2.5 million to NI Water every year.
NI Water will never win this battle on our own. We need the support of the public and community representatives to work with us to dispose of these items in the bin rather than down the sewer. This is absolutely essential if we are to keep our sewers running freely.
Information on NI Water’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ campaign can be found at http://www.niwater.com/bag-it-and-bin-it/
ENDS
For media queries, please contact the NI Water Press Office on 028 9035 4757 or email press.office@niwater.com