Plea to Leeds residents after fatberg and wet wipes block city sewers

The incidents were caused by the incorrect disposal of fats and wet wipes into the sewage network.

Yorkshire Water’s key workers spent three-and-a-half hours removing a fat blockage from Weetwood, while others removed a large number of wet wipes from a Headingley sewer.

Mark Hammond, head of customer field services at Yorkshire Water, said: “These two recent incidents in Leeds demonstrate the impact disposing of items such as wet wipes, fats, oils and greases can have on the network.

“We only want people to flush the three Ps – pee, poo and (toilet) paper – and let any cooking fats cool before throwing them away in the bin rather than down the sink.

“Incorrect disposal of items can cause blockages in the network and can result in flooding in homes, neighbourhoods and the local environment.”

Once the blockages were cleared, sewer levels returned to normal, reducing the risk of sewage leaks.

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