‘Lazy’ takeaways blamed for causing fatbergs the size of DOUBLE DECKER buses under the streets of one of Oxford
Discovery made after water company officials commissioned a survey to find out why the city centre was such a "hotspot"
FATBERGS the size of double decker buses are clogging up the sewers under Oxford because 'lazy' fast food outlets aren't chucking away their cooking oil and fat properly.
Shocked Thames Water officials found that only one in 20 of the famous city's takeaways and restaurants have been disposing their cooking waste in the correct way - meaning enormous lumps of congealed fat are growing in the drains.
Inspectors visited 200 pubs, cafes, hotels and takeaways to find the cause of the vast underground build-ups as establishments where food is cooked and sold to the public are legally required to use effective "grease traps" for fats and oils.
But an incredible 43 per cent of managers and owners confessed they didn't even know what a grease trap was and 80 per cent admitted to not having one installed.
Regional manager for the Thames Valley, Sean Walden, said the "staggering number" of takeaways and restaurants in Oxford needed to up their game.
He said "It's normal to see more fat in sewers around foot outlets, but Oxford city centre is a major hotspot.