United Utilities urge Wirral public to 'stop the block'

According to United Utilities there have been 68 blockages in Wirral within the past year, due to people flushing and pouring the wrong things.

Items commonly found in the borough's sewers include children's toys, cutlery, beer cans, mop heads and clothes.

Unflushables such as wet wipes and fats, oils and greases are responsible for clogging up drains and sewers.

This leads to flooding in homes and communities, but also results in debris from sewers finding its way onto beaches.

to tackle the problem, United Utilities are urging people to 'Stop the Block' through a campaign called Wirral Working Together, focusing in Moreton and Greasby.

The campaign is reminding residents at these flooding hotspots to put unflushables into the bin and not down the loo, and scrape cooled fats, oils and grease from pots and pans straight into the bin and help spread the message about why it's so important to Stop the Block.

Catherine Booth, marketing and campaigns manager at United Utilities, said: "When fats, oils and grease are poured down the sink, they cool and solidify in the sewers together with items such as wet wipes, nappies, and sanitary products.

"These huge lumps – known as fatbergs - clog up sewer pipes and, during times of very heavy rainfall, they can cause untreated sewage to flood homes, gardens, streets and can even impact our beaches.

"Our Stop the Block campaign has been launched to raise awareness about how much damage people are unwittingly causing when they dispose of these items in this way."

As part of the campaign, United Utilities is also encouraging food service businesses in the area to sign its 'fighting the fatberg' pledge and will be holding competitions for both primary and secondary school children to educate the next generation on this issue.

For more information about the campaign and what you can and can’t dispose of down your pipes and drains, go to www.unitedutilities.com/stoptheblock.