Bin wet wipes to prevent sewer blockages in Doncaster

Yorkshire Water is urging people in Doncaster to bin wet wipes after removing a blockage from the sewer network in Skellow.

The removal of the blockage comes after a survey found almost a quarter of people in Doncaster use their toilets and drains to dispose of items that shouldn’t enter the sewer, increasing the risk of localised blockages.

Almost a quarter of people surveyed in Doncaster admitted to flushing wet wipes, cotton buds, nappies, sanitary towels and tampons down their toilets or pouring cooking oils, which can also cause blockages within the sewer network, down their drains.

Mark Hammond, head of customer field services at Yorkshire Water, said: “Doncaster is a particular hotspot for blockages, many of which are caused by flushing wet wipes down the toilet. Wet wipes and sanitary products contain plastic and don’t break down in the sewer and can join together to form blockages in our network.

“Blockages can have a significant impact on our customers and the environment, causing restricted toilet use, sewage escapes in properties and gardens or pollution into watercourses.

“To reduce the likelihood of blockages locally we’re urging people to bin any wet wipes, sanitary products, nappies and cooking oils rather than flushing or pouring them into our network."

Yorkshire Water has backed Fleur Anderson’s ban on plastic wet wipes and has called on the government to add mandatory ‘do not flush’ labelling to packages and increase the responsibility on wipes manufacturers to cover the costs of incorrect disposal of their products.