ONE quick flush and they are gone.
But what many don’t realise is that flushing wet wipes and cotton wool down the toilet is causing a big problem for Hampshire's sewerage system.
A shocking 6,000 tons – the same weight as 2,000 hippos – of sanitary products and other sewerblocking materials were found in the waste water system beneath Hampshire.
Items including sanitary products, cotton wool and cotton buds can block sewers and cause serious problems, including the potential for flooding or pollution of homes and gardens.
Across the whole of the Southern Water network more than 6,000 tons of “blockers” were found between April and November 2014.
Sean Woodward, Hampshire County Council executive member for economy, transport and environment, claimed that the result of putting the wrong products down the toilet can be “literally explosive”.
Mr Woodward said: “I’m not surprised – people don’t seem to take a great deal of care about what they flush down the toilets. No product other than toilet tissue should be put down the toilet.
“It costs Southern Water a vast amount of money to clear this up. I have seen it myself when this happens.
“At these sewage pumping stations the blockage can be literally explosive.”
Other than sanitary products, the biggest enemy of the sewers is cooking fat being poured down drains, which solidifies over time.
Last year alone 11,000 blockages in Southern Water’s region were caused by fat, wipes and other things that should not be in sewers. In England and Wales more than twothirds of blockages are caused by inappropriate items.
Paul Kent, Southern Water’s waste water strategy manager, added: “The use of wet wipes and things like make-up wipes, most toilet tissue and cleaning wipes apparently rises 15 per cent each year, but this trend is putting a strain on our sewers, as shown by the huge amount cleared from our works.
“Unlike toilet roll these wipes don’t break down when flushed so frequently cause blockages. They can also cause damage at our treatment works as they can get tangled up in pumps and filters.
“Even those said to be flushable cause problems – they may flush away but they don’t biodegrade so can still block pipes further down the line.”
THE FIGURE INCLUDES
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