Video: Bus-sized lump of rancid fat and wet wipes clogs Kingston sewer

 
Nasty: The giant lump of fat - Image by CountyClean
Staff|Agency7 August 2013

A lump of congealed fat the size of a bus has been removed from a London sewer.

The deposit, made up of rancid waste food fat and wet wipes flushed down the toilet caused damage to the sewer in Kingston.

It was discovered after residents complained they were unable to flush their toilets.

CCTV in the sewer found the clump of fat had reduced the 70x48cm sewer to just five per cent of its normal capacity.

Nasty: The giant lump of fat - Image by CountyClean

Gordon Hailwood, waste contracts supervisor for Thames Water said: "While we've removed greater volumes of fat from under central London in the past, we've never seen a single, congealed lump of lard this big clogging our sewers before.

“Given we’ve got the biggest sewers and this is the biggest fatberg we’ve encountered, we reckon it has to be the biggest such berg in British history.

“The sewer was almost completely clogged with over 15 tonnes of fat. If we hadn’t discovered it in time, raw sewage could have started spurting out of manholes across the whole of Kingston.

“It was so big it damaged the sewer and repairs will take up to six weeks.

“Homes and businesses need to change their ways, when it comes to fat and wipes, please remember: ‘Bin it – don’t block it.’”

Thames Water started repairs to 20 metres of damaged pipe yesterday, and work is expected to take up to six weeks to complete.

Two lanes of London Road will be closed westbound between Coombe Road and Cambridge Road.

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