Disgusting photos from a water recycling plant in Suffolk have shown exactly why people should never flush wet wipes and cotton buds down the toilet.
The photographs - taken at Fornham Water Recycling Centre and shared by Anglian Water - show a skip full of waste extracted from sewage, which can cause blockages and pollution.
Anglian Water is running a Keep It Clear campaign to educate people about the consequences of flushing items such as wet wipes, cotton buds and sanitary items which combine with the fats, oils and greases in sewers to create fatbergs.
A spokesman said: “We clear 40,000 blockages across our network every single year – that equates to one blockage roughly every five minutes.
“Of these blockages, 85% are completely avoidable but cost us a whopping £19million a year to keep our sewers free of them.
“This money could ultimately be better spent elsewhere.
“Not only that, but blockages can lead to sewer flooding in people’s homes and pollution in the wider environment.
“This is why people should only flush the three P’s down their toilet – pee, poo and (toilet) paper.”
Since the Keep It Clear campaign began, sewer blockages have dropped by an average of 52%.
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