NI Water Spends Almost £5m On Sewer Blockages In Two Years

NI Water has spent an estimated £5million in the past two years dealing with almost 40,000 sewer blockages.

The firm is urging the public not to put the turkey Fat, Oil and Grease (FOG) down their sink as it will cause blockages and dispose of it in their bin.

As FOG cools, it solidifies and creates blockages in the sewerage system, which often results in out of sewer flooding.

Alec McQuillan, Head of Wastewater at NI Water said: "Christmas and the New Year are a popular time for friends and families to get together, often to enjoy a roast dinner. While the meal may be planned with meticulous detail, little attention is paid to what we put down the sink. When fat, oil and grease solidifies in the sewers it prevents wastewater flowing through the pipe, and often causes a blockage.

"Fat, oil and grease in its liquid form may not look harmful, but once in the drains, it is. Even when hot water or soap is poured down the sink – the fat, oil and grease will still harden. Detergents and bleach may also appear to work, but this is only temporary.

"When a drain becomes blocked and overflows, the consequences can be devastating. We can all play a part in maintaining the sewerage infrastructure from restaurants, pubs and hotels right through to home owners and industrial outlets."

(CD)