Important information about fatbergs

Every year, tens of thousands of litres of waste fat, cooking oil and grease are poured down sinks by businesses who don't realise the problems this could cause.

When hot fat, oil and grease cools it forms a solid mass which can build up inside pipes resulting in blockages. As well as potentially causing flooding this can also contribute to the formation of fatbergs such as the one recently discovered in the sewer network at Sidmouth.

Formed from everything that has been flushed or poured down the sinks of Sidmouth that shouldn’t have been, including wet wipes, fat, oil and grease, the fatberg is longer than six back-to-back double-decker buses at 64 metres in length.

It is estimated that it will take around eight weeks to remove the fatberg, starting next month.

To prevent such blockages, businesses should make sure that they do not pour fats, oil or grease down the drain and that staff and visitors do not flush anything other than the 3Ps – pee, paper and poo – down  the loo. Food waste and cooled fats should be collected and disposed of in appropriate recycling containers.

For more information call 0330 041 5566.