Half a mini car found in London sewer as millions are spent on clearing blockages

 
Strange finds: a mobile phone is one of the strange items found in a sewer (Picture: PA)
Alexandra Rucki20 November 2014

Half a mini car and a severed finger are some of the weird finds discovered in London sewers in a £70 million operation to clear blockages last year.

Elsewhere in the UK sewer staff found a prosthetic leg, a dead cow and a Honda motorbike while clearing the sewers.

The Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) said there were 52,000 sewer blockages in the capital from 2013/14 – the highest number compared to other cities in the UK.

CCWater are urging people to think about what they pour down the drain as it is costing bill payers to clear the blockages, which amounted to a total of 300,000 last year.

Thames Water pulled the mini from a London sewer earlier in the year, while Wessex Water made a grim discovery of false teeth.

Fatberg: a fat clogged sewer (Picture: PA)

But CCWater said the main cause of blockages comes from fats, oils and greases being poured down the loo, resulting in huge ‘fatbergs’.

The giant ‘fatbergs’, with one recently being found in a Whitehall sewer, can have a devastating impact and leave homes flooded with sewage.

Results show over two thirds of sewer blockages are caused by inappropriate items and substances finding their way down the sink or toilet.

Sewer finds: false teeth were found in a sewer by Northumbrian water (Picture: PA)

Steve Grebby, policy manager at CCWater, said: “Seeing your home flooded as a result of a blocked sewer or drain can be devastating.

“But the good news is we can all play a part in reducing the risk of this happening by thinking more carefully about what we flush down the toilet.”

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