Showing posts with label Kingston upon Thames. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kingston upon Thames. Show all posts

Tuesday, 6 August 2013

Fatberg Alert!

"Oh my, word!", was probably what was uttered by the Thames Water people investigating the sewers in Kingston upon Thames, where they discovered Britain's biggest ever 'fatberg'.  A "bus-sized lump" of food fat mixed with wet wipes formed in drains. The blockage was discovered after residents in nearby flats complained they couldn't flush their toilets. Thames Water believe if it wasn't removed it could have led to sewage flooding homes, streets and businesses.

Gordon Hailwood, Waste Contracts supervisor for Thames Water said that: "While we've removed greater volumes of fat from under central London in the past, we've never seen a single, congealed lump of lard this big clogging our sewers before....this is the biggest 'fatberg' we've encountered, we reckon it has to be the biggest in British history".

CCTV investigations in London Road found the mound of fat had reduced the sewer to just five per cent of its normal capacity. The water authority have issued a plea for householders to avoid disposing of fat and wipes through their drains. The fatberg was so big it damaged the sewer and repairs will take up to six weeks.


Source: BBC Website, Independent