This Halloween, Anglian Water is facing a fright of its own – terrifying blockages and spooky sewer surprises being caused by unflushable items. Despite these spooky items, the water company is continuing to ensure its region’s sewer network is clear of any unusual items – with the help of its educational campaign, Just Bin It. 

Anglian Water’s Just Bin It campaign is designed to raise awareness for customers of what goes into the sewers. The campaign aims to help customers understand after they flush and how positive changes at home can prevent blockages and flooding in the region. 

A few tricks and even some treats have managed to find themselves in the Anglian Water network, including sweets, a pork chop and a haunting toy dolly.

The seasonal finds are just some of the items that have been found throughout the year. Throughout October, the water company is supporting the annual awareness campaign Unblocktober, which aims to improve the country’s drains, sewers, watercourses and seas by educating members of the public on what not to put down their drains.

In the Anglian Water region, 80% of sewer flooding incidents are caused by blockages, many of which are the result of unflushable items entering the sewer system. Last year alone, Anglian Water cleared over 35,000 blockages, removing tonnes of waste linked to flooding and pollution events.

Wipes are a major contributor to this problem – around 9,500 packets are flushed into the East of England’s sewers every day. When flushed, wipes can mix with fats oils and other unflushable items, creating solid blockages. Because wipes don’t break down like toilet paper, they can take over 100 years to decompose – even those labelled ‘flushable’ or ‘fine to flush’. 

Under Section 111 of the Water Industry Act 1991 it’s a criminal offence to put anything down the loo or sink which is likely to interfere with the free flow of the sewer – and Anglian Water is hoping to raise awareness of this issue with its customers. Proactive letter drops in communities with high rates of blockages have delivered an average of 58 per cent reduction in blockage numbers, even without the need to progress to enforcement for domestic customers.

Connor Brailsford, Programme Manager at Anglian Water said: “Although we’ve seen some rather interesting items in our network, this is the reality of what our teams are having to clear out of our network on a regular basis. That’s why we’re working in hotspots across our region to raise awareness and protect local communities by keeping their pipes safe from blockages.”

To tackle this, the water company is using innovative ‘hedgehog’ devices placed in sewers to capture wipes and other unflushable materials in pipes. The results speak for themselves, with the hedgehogs collecting over 18,000 unflushables across hotspot locations in just eight weeks since they were installed in August.

Connor added: “We’re asking everyone – businesses and customers alike – to take a moment and think before they flush or pour. If it’s not pee, poo, or toilet paper, it belongs in the bin, not the drain. Together, through initiatives like this and everyday good habits, we can protect our homes, rivers, beaches, and the environment for future generations.”

Find out more information about Anglian Water’s Just Bin It campaign here.