Data collected by Anglian Water shows that people across the East of England wrongly disposed of 2,800 tonnes of unflushable items last year creating avoidable blockages. Ultimately, these are reducing the capacity of the region’s sewers at the wettest time of year, increasing the risk of flooding.

The monster mound of rubbish – which is largely made up of wet wipes, cotton buds and sanitary items – has been filtered out at various Water Recycling Centres (WRCs) over the past year and is equivalent to the weight of around 28 blue whales.

Regan Harris from Anglian Water said: "We work in one of the flattest regions in the country which is most vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather. We clear tens of thousands of blockages a year, 80 per cent of which are completely avoidable. But aside from being costly and time consuming to deal with, they also greatly reduce the capacity of our sewers and mean the risk of flooding or pollution is greater.

“While we’re significantly investing in improving our network to cope, avoiding preventable blockages like this can make all the difference in keeping our sewers flowing freely. As we head into another potentially wet winter, there’s something simple we can all do at home to make a huge difference - bin it, don’t flush it. And remember, only three P’s should go down the toilet – pee, poo and (toilet) paper.”

Wet wipes continue to be one of the most commons cause of problems in the sewer and are by far the worst culprit – however, things like tampons, cottons buds and cooking fats can also cause problems.

So far this year, the water company has cleared over 13,565 blockages caused by wrongly flushed items, as well as build-up of fats, oils and greases (FOGs). Clearing these blockages is essential to helping protect the environment from potential sewer spills and clearing the network, making more room in the sewers during flooding.

This data comes as the annual awareness campaign Unblocktober began earlier this month – something that Anglian Water has been supporting since 2019.

The campaign is aimed at improving the country’s drains, sewers, watercourses and seas by educating members of the public on what not to put down their drains. Unblocktober is the world’s first awareness month dedicated to fighting fatbergs that can cause extreme blockages in water networks across the country with the aim to prevent plastic pollution from entering our environment – driven by members of the public.

For more information about Unblocktober including a full list of items you shouldn’t be flushing, visit: www.unblocktober.org