Almost a quarter of Doncaster people are using their toilets and drains as bins

A shocking 24 per cent of people surveyed in Doncaster admitted to flushing or pouring items down their toilets that can cause serious blockages in the sewer system.
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Yorkshire Water is urging customers to ‘bin it, don’t block it’ after a survey found almost a quarter are using their toilets and drains to dispose of items that shouldn’t enter the sewer, increasing the risk of localised blockages.

Mark Hammond, head of customer field services at Yorkshire Water, said: “We know from our data that some areas of Doncaster are hot spots for blockages, which are often caused by people disposing of items into the sewer incorrectly.

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24 per cent of Doncaster people are using their toilets as bins.24 per cent of Doncaster people are using their toilets as bins.
24 per cent of Doncaster people are using their toilets as bins.
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“Items such as fats, wet wipes and sanitary products don’t break down in the sewer and can join together to form significant blockages in our network.”

The utility company surveyed 348 people across blockage hot spots in Doncaster, Hull and Pontefract to understand how people disposed of wet wipes, cotton buds, nappies, sanitary towels, tampons, dental floss, tissues and cooking oils.

24 per cent of people surveyed in Doncaster admitted to flushing or pouring some of the items, which can cause blockages within the sewer network, down their toilets and drains.

Mark said: “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 our pouring them into our network.

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“Blockages can lead to people being unable to use their toilet due to restricted flows in the network, sewage flooding in homes, sewage escaping into the local environment or ultimately pollution to local watercourses.

“We spend millions of pounds every year identifying and removing blockages caused by un-flushables, fats and foreign objects.

“By making a small change and binning these items our customers can help us prevent blockages before they become a problem.”

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Liam Hoden, editor.